Child Safety Team Lead - Trust and Safety
TikTok USDS Joint Venture
1 day ago
Full-time
On-site
San Jose, California, United States
$110,223 - $198,445 USD yearly
Manager
Responsibilities
About Us
Our Trust & Safety Safety Regulatory Compliance Operations team's commitment is to keep our online community safe. We have invested heavily in human and machine-based moderation to remove harmful content quickly and often before it reaches our general community.
The Child Safety Team is responsible for reporting incidents of online sexual abuse of minors including child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), sexually predatory behavior including grooming, and other sexual exploitation involving minors to appropriate authorities, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The team is seeking an experienced people leader with excellent judgment, exceptional partnering skills and a passion for protecting children.
Role Description
As the Child Safety Team (CST) Lead, you’ll be guiding Child Safety Specialists to ensure the timely reporting of content across the broad spectrum of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Through close partnerships with Legal, Policy, and Product, you will manage child sexual exploitation and abuse incidents to protect our online community. This role requires someone who will rapidly master internal workflows to anticipate systemic risks, ensuring the operation scales without compromising integrity.
You will also work closely with internal teams to create and streamline cross-functional processes, and increase our overall efficiency to ensure our products are free of any violative content.
This role will be regularly exposed to harmful child safety content as part of the core role. Additional harmful content you may be exposed to includes but is not limited to bullying; hate speech; sexual assault; torture; bestiality; self-harm; suicide; murder.
This role will be based in San Jose, CA. This role may include on call and holiday support.
What Will I Be Doing?
- You will lead a team of Child Safety Specialists under the Head of CST Operations, to ensure daily operational effectiveness, set goals for the team, and be responsible for their wellness.
- You'll lead and manage escalations of Child Safety requests, including those from Law Enforcement, liaising with Legal, Policy, Product, and other colleagues whenever necessary. You'll also work closely with our Global Child Safety team to partner on effective strategy to safeguard the platform.
- You'll identify risks to operational efficiencies and escalate them efficiently while also seeking out solutions.
- You'll work directly with the Head of CST Operations to provide regular reporting to keep stakeholders up to date on progress, findings and recommendations.
- You'll manage team schedules and rosters to ensure daily operational coverage, identifying and flagging bandwidth gaps before they impact compliance with legal deadlines.
- You'll manage multiple projects of moderate-to-high complexity and scope and work cross-functionally to ensure coordination and alignment on objectives and key results.
- You'll enhance our operational workflows via process improvements and identification of automation opportunities. You'll drive innovation regarding processes and best practices for implementing policies.
- You'll help coach/mentor team members and devise development plans for their professional development.
- You'll attend regular Child Safety meetings and work closely with key partners.
- You'll keep abreast and evaluate the impact of legislative, regulatory and legal developments related to the handling and reporting of Child Safety material.
- You'll play a role in defining and implementing a long-term strategy to deal with hiring and volume growth to continue to meet goals in this area for TikTok.
- You'll work directly with the team and adjacent teams to ensure long-term SLA adherence.
- You'll address sensitive content issues, including but not limited to graphic images, videos and writings, offensive or derogatory language, and other objectionable material.
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- 5 years in Online Child Safety and familiarity with NCMEC's CyberTipline
- Proven experience in managing and leading operational teams, with several years in a management or people-leader role.
- A successful track record leading cross-regional teams, fostering alignment, and driving results across diverse geographies.
- Extensive experience handling sensitive content within removal processes, calibrations, and escalation management.
- Strong track record of managing multiple complex projects and developing effective team strategies.
- Excellent decision-making skills under pressure, with the ability to prioritize and act swiftly.
- Adept at engaging with senior stakeholders and executives to achieve organizational goals.
- Comprehensive knowledge of child safety investigations and related law enforcement processes.
- Demonstrated expertise in engaging and collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
- Exceptional and professional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
- Resilience and commitment to self-care to manage the emotional demands of the role.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working for an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)
- Familiarity with US laws and regulations impacting Trust and Safety operations (2258A, the Report Act, etc.)
- Demonstrated success in managing global operational teams, including experience with scheduling, time zone management, and handling stress in high-stakes environments.
- Track record of challenging the status quo and driving forward-thinking changes that enhance team and company performance.
- Experience using data analytics to drive decision-making and process improvements.
Trust & Safety
Content that this role interacts with includes images, video, and text related to every-day life, but it can also include (but is not limited to) bullying; hate speech; child safety; depictions of harm to self and others, and harm to animals. Hence, it is possible that this role will be exposed to harmful content on a daily basis.
TikTok recognises that keeping our platform safe for the TikTok communities is no ordinary job which can be both rewarding and psychologically demanding and emotionally taxing for some. This is why we are sharing the potential hazards, risks and implications in this unique line of work from the start, so our candidates are well informed before joining.
We are committed to the wellbeing of all our employees and promise to provide comprehensive and evidence-based programs, to promote and support physical and mental wellbeing throughout each employee's journey with us. We believe that wellbeing is a relationship and that everyone has a part to play, so we work in collaboration and consultation with our employees and across our functions in order to ensure a truly person-centred, innovative and integrated approach.
About USDS
TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.
On-site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real-time decision-making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in-person schedule up to 5 days a week.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
USDS Reasonable Accommodation
USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $110223 - $198445 annually.
Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
About Us
Our Trust & Safety Safety Regulatory Compliance Operations team's commitment is to keep our online community safe. We have invested heavily in human and machine-based moderation to remove harmful content quickly and often before it reaches our general community.
The Child Safety Team is responsible for reporting incidents of online sexual abuse of minors including child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), sexually predatory behavior including grooming, and other sexual exploitation involving minors to appropriate authorities, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The team is seeking an experienced people leader with excellent judgment, exceptional partnering skills and a passion for protecting children.
Role Description
As the Child Safety Team (CST) Lead, you’ll be guiding Child Safety Specialists to ensure the timely reporting of content across the broad spectrum of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Through close partnerships with Legal, Policy, and Product, you will manage child sexual exploitation and abuse incidents to protect our online community. This role requires someone who will rapidly master internal workflows to anticipate systemic risks, ensuring the operation scales without compromising integrity.
You will also work closely with internal teams to create and streamline cross-functional processes, and increase our overall efficiency to ensure our products are free of any violative content.
This role will be regularly exposed to harmful child safety content as part of the core role. Additional harmful content you may be exposed to includes but is not limited to bullying; hate speech; sexual assault; torture; bestiality; self-harm; suicide; murder.
This role will be based in San Jose, CA. This role may include on call and holiday support.
What Will I Be Doing?
- You will lead a team of Child Safety Specialists under the Head of CST Operations, to ensure daily operational effectiveness, set goals for the team, and be responsible for their wellness.
- You'll lead and manage escalations of Child Safety requests, including those from Law Enforcement, liaising with Legal, Policy, Product, and other colleagues whenever necessary. You'll also work closely with our Global Child Safety team to partner on effective strategy to safeguard the platform.
- You'll identify risks to operational efficiencies and escalate them efficiently while also seeking out solutions.
- You'll work directly with the Head of CST Operations to provide regular reporting to keep stakeholders up to date on progress, findings and recommendations.
- You'll manage team schedules and rosters to ensure daily operational coverage, identifying and flagging bandwidth gaps before they impact compliance with legal deadlines.
- You'll manage multiple projects of moderate-to-high complexity and scope and work cross-functionally to ensure coordination and alignment on objectives and key results.
- You'll enhance our operational workflows via process improvements and identification of automation opportunities. You'll drive innovation regarding processes and best practices for implementing policies.
- You'll help coach/mentor team members and devise development plans for their professional development.
- You'll attend regular Child Safety meetings and work closely with key partners.
- You'll keep abreast and evaluate the impact of legislative, regulatory and legal developments related to the handling and reporting of Child Safety material.
- You'll play a role in defining and implementing a long-term strategy to deal with hiring and volume growth to continue to meet goals in this area for TikTok.
- You'll work directly with the team and adjacent teams to ensure long-term SLA adherence.
- You'll address sensitive content issues, including but not limited to graphic images, videos and writings, offensive or derogatory language, and other objectionable material.
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- 5 years in Online Child Safety and familiarity with NCMEC's CyberTipline
- Proven experience in managing and leading operational teams, with several years in a management or people-leader role.
- A successful track record leading cross-regional teams, fostering alignment, and driving results across diverse geographies.
- Extensive experience handling sensitive content within removal processes, calibrations, and escalation management.
- Strong track record of managing multiple complex projects and developing effective team strategies.
- Excellent decision-making skills under pressure, with the ability to prioritize and act swiftly.
- Adept at engaging with senior stakeholders and executives to achieve organizational goals.
- Comprehensive knowledge of child safety investigations and related law enforcement processes.
- Demonstrated expertise in engaging and collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
- Exceptional and professional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
- Resilience and commitment to self-care to manage the emotional demands of the role.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working for an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)
- Familiarity with US laws and regulations impacting Trust and Safety operations (2258A, the Report Act, etc.)
- Demonstrated success in managing global operational teams, including experience with scheduling, time zone management, and handling stress in high-stakes environments.
- Track record of challenging the status quo and driving forward-thinking changes that enhance team and company performance.
- Experience using data analytics to drive decision-making and process improvements.
Trust & Safety
Content that this role interacts with includes images, video, and text related to every-day life, but it can also include (but is not limited to) bullying; hate speech; child safety; depictions of harm to self and others, and harm to animals. Hence, it is possible that this role will be exposed to harmful content on a daily basis.
TikTok recognises that keeping our platform safe for the TikTok communities is no ordinary job which can be both rewarding and psychologically demanding and emotionally taxing for some. This is why we are sharing the potential hazards, risks and implications in this unique line of work from the start, so our candidates are well informed before joining.
We are committed to the wellbeing of all our employees and promise to provide comprehensive and evidence-based programs, to promote and support physical and mental wellbeing throughout each employee's journey with us. We believe that wellbeing is a relationship and that everyone has a part to play, so we work in collaboration and consultation with our employees and across our functions in order to ensure a truly person-centred, innovative and integrated approach.
About USDS
TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.
On-site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real-time decision-making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in-person schedule up to 5 days a week.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
USDS Reasonable Accommodation
USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $110223 - $198445 annually.
Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.