Machine Learning Engineer, Search - Local Services Team

TikTok's Local Services Search team in Seattle builds large-scale, ML-powered search and recommendation systems to help users discover hospitality, dining, and leisure options. This onsite role focuses on advancing local services discovery and supporting ecosystem growth by applying sophisticated machine learning to improve relevance and conversion outcomes across a vast user base.

Location

Seattle, WA (onsite)

Salary

USD 148,200 - 300,960 per year

Responsibilities

• Support the local video service business in enhancing user discovery of life services such as hospitality, dining, and leisure.
• Enhance the search experience for local services and contribute to ecosystem growth.
• Apply large-scale machine learning techniques in search and recommendation scenarios with billions of users to improve user shopping experiences and boost conversion efficiency.
• Design and implement full-stack local services search algorithms, including query analysis, relevance, recall, coarse ranking, fine ranking, and blended ranking; develop personalized behavior modeling for relevance computation; predict CTR and CVR; implement vector recall and value blending.

Requirements

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Solid foundation in machine learning and deep learning, with experience in natural language processing.
• Excellent coding skills and a strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.
• Proficiency in Linux development environments.
• Previous experience with search, recommendation, or advertisement algorithms.
• Familiarity with local life services and e-commerce domains.

Technologies

• Linux

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (day one access)
• 401(k) savings plan with company match
• Paid parental leave
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Life insurance
• Wellbeing benefits
• 10 paid holidays per year
• 10 paid sick days per year
• 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with accruals increasing with tenure)

About the Team

The Data-Search-TikTok-Local Services team works to elevate local experiences by improving how users discover hospitality, dining, and leisure activities while driving ecosystem growth. They rely on large-scale machine learning to refine search and recommendation systems, targeting personalized relevance, CTR/CVR prediction, and optimized conversion efficiency for billions of users.

About TikTok

TikTok is a leading destination for short-form mobile video. The platform aims to inspire creativity and bring joy. Its global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, with additional offices around the world including New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Why Join Us

TikTok centers its mission on enabling authentic self-expression and connection through innovative products. Diverse, global teams collaborate to create value for communities, foster creativity, and deliver joy every day.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok seeks to cultivate an inclusive environment where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and perspectives. The company emphasizes celebrating diverse voices and ensuring the workplace reflects the communities it serves.

TikTok Accommodation

TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other protected reasons. For assistance or accommodations, please visit RA request.

For Los Angeles County (Unincorporated) Candidates

• Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
• Interacting with internal and external clients and colleagues, sometimes unsupervised.
• Handling confidential information and access to information technology systems with proper judgment.