Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Payment Data Intelligence) - 2027 Summer

The USDS Payment team at TikTok builds the core payment capabilities supporting a smooth, secure, and reliable payment experience across the platform - spanning payment acquisition, disbursement, transaction monitoring, payment method management, FX conversion, accounting, and reconciliation.

Within this org, the Payment Data Intelligence team applies data science and machine learning to improve payment services at scale. The team leverages large-scale datasets and advanced algorithms to power business-critical use cases including financial risk control, payment compliance, user growth, and operational optimization - at the intersection of ML, data infrastructure, and real-world fintech challenges.

This internship focuses on building agent-first AI applications for payment scenarios. The role is designed for candidates who want to apply the latest AI paradigms, including LLM-based agents, workflow orchestration, prompt engineering, MCP-based tool integration, and AI application evaluation, to solve practical payment business problems.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. Our internship program offers students hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while building a strong foundation for personal and professional growth.

Interns will gain practical experience, explore potential career paths, and participate in social events, learning programs, and development workshops alongside industry professionals.

Responsibilities:

• Work with product, strategy, engineering teams to design, develop, and deploy ML solutions for payment-related business problems


• Translate business needs into data-driven and algorithmic approaches


• Contribute to use cases such as fraud detection, risk modeling, user experience optimization, and campaign effectiveness


• Participate in data processing and feature engineering workflows at scale


• Experiment with ML models and improve components of the model lifecycle (data labeling, feature systems, model robustness, automation)


• Explore advanced AI techniques (deep neural networks, LLMs) in payment intelligence scenarios

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.


• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.


• Strong foundation in machine learning, data analysis, and programming


• Proficient in Python, Java, or Scala

Preferred Qualification(s):

• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving ability


• Experience in ML, risk modeling, recommendation systems, trust & safety, or fintech


• Familiarity with deep learning or LLM applications

Job Information

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

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $42.75- $42.75.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location.

• Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more.


• Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year).


• Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.

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:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;


• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and tree secret information and access to information technology systems; and