Machine Learning Engineer Graduate (E-Commerce Recommendation Foundation)- 2027 Start (PhD)

TikTok
San Jose
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeFunction: Data Science & Machine LearningEducation: phdSkills: ["Self-driven","Research mindset","Engineering skills","Hypothesis-driven thinking"]

Build shared recommendation foundation models for TikTok’s global e-commerce organization. You’ll participate in the full training lifecycle (pre-, mid-, and post-training), designing multimodal semantic tokenizers and developing LLM-native recommendation that improves quality with world knowledge. Work on retrieval, ranking, and end-to-end generative recommendation systems that move beyond click prediction toward general-purpose recommendation agents.

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FursaFursa
TikTok
TikTok
5 hours ago

Machine Learning Engineer Graduate (E-Commerce Recommendation Foundation)- 2027 Start (PhD)

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Last checked: 5 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Build shared recommendation foundation models for TikTok’s global e-commerce organization. You’ll participate in the full training lifecycle (pre-, mid-, and post-training), designing multimodal semantic tokenizers and developing LLM-native recommendation that improves quality with world knowledge. Work on retrieval, ranking, and end-to-end generative recommendation systems that move beyond click prediction toward general-purpose recommendation agents.
Location: San Jose
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Data Science & Machine Learning
Seniority: Graduate level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Participate in the full training lifecycle of recommendation foundation models, including pre-training, mid-training, and post-training.
  • •Design and train multimodal semantic tokenizers for recommendation items using multimodal foundation models.
  • •Develop LLM-native recommendation by incorporating recommendation tasks into large language model training.
  • •Build next-generation recommendation systems powered by recommendation foundation models across retrieval, ranking, and end-to-end generative recommendation.

Key Requirements

  • •Completing or recently completed a PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related discipline.
  • •Solid foundation in machine learning and deep learning, with strong interest in LLMs and generative recommendation.
  • •Proficiency in Python and experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch.
  • •Self-driven with a strong research mindset and solid engineering skills.
  • •Experience with pre-/mid-/post-training of LLMs or foundation models, or research/project experience in generative recommendation, LLM-native recommendation, or multimodal semantic tokenization (preferred).
Experience:E-commerceRecommendation systemsLLMsMultimodalGenerative AI
Education:PhD / Doctorate
Skills:Self-drivenResearch mindsetEngineering skillsHypothesis-driven thinking
Tech Stack:PythonPyTorchLLMsVLMsDeep learningMultimodal semantic tokenizersReinforcement learningGenerative recommendationRetrievalRanking

Company Brief

TikTok
Short-form video platform that lets users create, share, and discover entertainment content through algorithmic recommendations. It also offers advertising and creator tools for brands, influencers, and businesses.
Industry: Digital Media
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Headquarters: Singapore, Singapore
Founded: 2016
WebsiteLinkedIn