Data Engineering Manager (Data Governance) - Data Cycling Center

Responsibilities
About Data Cycling Center
AI is the new electricity and data is the energy for AI. Our core belief is that unstructured data contains the untapped wisdom of humanity — and by building the best AI-ready data infrastructure, we enable more meaningful, responsible, and creative uses of AI.
Data Cycling Center (DCC) is a Data Science team that is responsible for building the mid-platform data layer that powers AI development across all business lines of TikTok, including e-commerce, advertising, livestreaming, and emerging technologies.

Our initiatives include:
- Scaled human-in-the-loop (HITL) data processing (including capability, methodology, E2E process, platform), delivering the most cost-effective results at benchmark quality levels that outperform leading tech peers.
- Built a highly automated end-to-end data pipeline for AI-generated content (AIGC) that supports strong model performance with minimal resource input.
- Develop a comprehensive content understanding and insight generation system, setting new benchmarks for marketing intelligence in the online ads ecosystem.

DCC aims to be the number 1 data service provider in the AI era. Our mission is to build the most effective (lossless and affordable) content understanding capabilities to fully satisfy AI needs of TikTok and to help the industry push the limit.

About the role
As a Lead Data Engineer, you will be responsible for building up both the team and the data pipeline. You will be working on cutting-edge challenges in the big data and AI industry which requires strong passion and capability of innovation. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions. Additionally, you will provide technical guidance, mentorship, and support to junior team members.

Responsibilities:
- Architect efficient, scalable and reliable data pipelines and infrastructure for ingesting, processing, and transforming large volumes of data
- Define the technical strategy and roadmap for data engineering projects in alignment with business objectives, actively evaluate and bring in industry best practices and state-of-the-art technical approaches, and timely update the strategy according to the rapid change of the industry
- Build and lead a high-performing data engineering team with a clear strategy, providing business, technical, and personal development coaching
- Own and drive data engineering projects by leveraging both internal and cross-functional resources, setting meaningful and challenging targets, and achieving them with innovative approaches
- Foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture within and across teams, collaborate with data scientists

Why Join Us
- Shape the Future of AI
Work at the core of TikTok’s AI development, where your data powers cutting-edge applications across e-commerce, ads, livestream, and more.
- Massive Scale, Real-World Impact
Process petabytes of unstructured data to influence real products used by over a billion users worldwide.
- Global Team, Local Leadership
Join a diverse, high-performing team spread across Singapore, New York, San Jose, Shanghai, and more
- Build What Others Benchmark Against
Our innovations in HITL systems, AIGC pipelines, and content understanding set the industry standard - not just keep up with it.
- From Data to Strategy
We don’t just process data — we turn it into actionable insight that shapes product and business strategy across all TikTok verticals.
- Dynamic, Fast-Paced, Fun
- Experience the energy of a high-impact team that moves fast, breaks new ground, and never stops learning.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- At least 5 years of experience in data engineering, with proven expertise in building scalable data pipelines and infrastructure.
- Experience with big data technologies such as Apache Spark, Hadoop, and Kafka along with strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, SQL, and Java.
- Strong understanding of database systems, data warehousing, and distributed computing concepts.
- Proven experience in team management, with a strong track record of leading teams and collaboration with stakeholders at a regional or global level; proven track record of leading teams and delivering complex data engineering projects.

Preferred Qualifications
- Excellent communication and expression skills, logical thinking, teamwork and execution abilities. Independent thinking and capable of exploring and prioritising the core business needs.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.

About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.


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.


Trust & Safety
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.


TikTok Accommodation
TikTok 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/RA-request


Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $201000 - $483200 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.