TikTok's rapid expansion has led to a surge in hiring, with over 2,500 job openings in the US in various departments. Despite reports of high-pressure working conditions, the company's popularity and growth continue to attract applicants. The focus on strategic initiatives like e-commerce and data sovereignty has prompted a flurry of strategic hires, with particular emphasis on its e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop, and its USDS division, aimed at data security.
Business Insider analyzed data from work-visa disclosures to shed light on the salaries offered by TikTok and its owner, ByteDance, to foreign staffers being sought for US-based roles. The analyzed data spans two years and includes salary information for tech, data, and product roles, with a focus on e-commerce, data, and engineering functions.
The data reveals the wide range of salaries offered by TikTok and ByteDance, ranging from $29 per hour to $455,600 per year for various positions. TikTok and ByteDance seem to offer comparable salaries for similar positions, with the median salary for a data scientist, for example, being around $185,000 at ByteDance, $182,993 at TikTok, and $193,535 at USDS.
It's important to note that these figures represent the minimum amounts stated in labor applications and that companies may offer higher salaries or additional forms of compensation such as stock options. Despite requests for comment on the data, TikTok did not respond.
For those interested in some salary examples, they include a creator success manager for Live Shop operations at ByteDance earning $100,000 annually and e-commerce data engineers at TikTok receiving between $150,000 to $232,000 per year. These figures provide a glimpse into the competitive salaries being offered by TikTok and ByteDance as they continue to expand their operations in the US.
For a complete list of the jobs included in the data, please refer to Business Insider's analysis.
Corporate
TikTok employees who work on the corporate functions team are assigned with anticipating and addressing "organizational problems to ensure that we continue growing and operating efficiently," the company wrote. The job category includes roles like human resources, legal and policy, finance, and support.
Some examples of salary offers for corporate functions include:
- Accountant, Expense Management: $73,000
- HR Business Partner: $127,680 median; ranging from $90,000 to $182,880
- HR Specialist: $114,000 median; ranging from $85,000 to $170,000
Design
Employees on the design team "shape the visual representation" of TikTok's products and business, creating "unique designs that are not just visually appealing, but also express the aesthetic of our brand," the company wrote.
Some examples of salary offers for design-related roles include:
- Motion Designer: $110,000
- Product/UX Designer: $133,500 median; ranging from $125,000 to $142,000
- Senior Product Designer: $207,500 median; ranging from $160,000 to $250,000
- UX Researcher: $145,000
- UX Designer: $137,520 median; ranging from $108,000 to $140,000
- UX Designer, TikTok Monetization: $200,000 median; ranging from $190,000 to $210,000
E-Commerce
TikTok in November 2022 began testing its main e-commerce feature, Shop, in the US. It officially rolled out the feature in September after courting staffers across a variety of roles in areas like logistics and pre-owned luxury goods.
Some salary offers for roles related to TikTok and ByteDance's e-commerce efforts include:
- E-Commerce Content Operations, Global TSP Operations: $120,000
- Data Scientist, E-Commerce: $290,000 median; ranging from $275,000 to $290,000
- Monetization Strategy Associate, E-Commerce: $163,000
- Senior Product Marketing Manager, TikTok Shop Seller Merchandise Operation: $240,000
- Tech Lead, Global E-Commerce Central Product Platform: $255,956
- TikTok E-Commerce Product Marketing Manager: $175,000
- TikTok E-Commerce Senior Product Manager: $151,032 median; ranging from $151,032 to $183,526
- TikTok Shopping, Integrated Marketing and Promotion Manager: $105,000
Operations
Staff on TikTok's operations team are expected to have "strong analytical abilities" and to ensure that "the quality of our products meets the expectations and needs of our users," the company wrote.
Some salary offers for operations roles include:
- Ad Operations Specialist: $93,000
- Advertising Policy Manager: $116,000
- Business Intelligence Analyst: $157,500 median; ranging from $95,000 to $200,000
- Creator Partnerships Manager, Fashion: $185,000
Product
Staff on TikTok's product team focus on "innovation and direction," the company wrote on its jobs portal, with the task of "analyzing the market, determining the vision and strategy, and collaborating with other teams."
Some examples of salary offers for product-related roles include:
- Data Scientist, Ads: $315,000
- Data Scientist, TikTok Creator: $230,300
- Global Product Marketing Manager: $233,500 median; ranging from $232,000 to $235,000
- Head of Product, Issue, Americas, Trust and Safety: $358,180
- Product Manager: $204,375 median; ranging from $94,680 to $350,000
- Product Operation Manager: $210,000
- Senior Product Manager, Brand Ads: $288,500