Entry Level Computer Science Jobs in Santa Cruz, CA

Responsibilities
About the Team Creative Effects are a big part of the TikTok experience. From beauty filters to AI Effect, effects make content creation easy, fun, and dynamic - but only when they run flawlessly on the phone in your hand. We are the TikTok Effects Performance Team, powering the system behind every filter, AR effect, and visual effect used by hundreds of millions of creators every day. Our mission is to make effects feel smooth, instant, and power-efficient on every device our users hold, from the latest flagship to the most entry-level phone. If you are passionate about real-time rendering and squeezing the most out of mobile hardware, you came to the right place. You will be working in the business architecture layer of our self-developed rendering engine - the system that turns effect assets into a fluid, low-power camera experience. Partnering closely with rendering, algorithm, and camera pipeline teams, you'll help profile and optimize frame rate, first-frame latency, memory footprint, and power consumption, and help build the tooling that makes this work scale. Every millisecond and every milliwatt saved is felt by hundreds of millions of TikTok creators around the world. 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. Candidates may apply to a maximum of two positions across Our Company and its affiliates globally. Applications will be considered in the order they are submitted. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume, including your start and end dates. Responsibilities: - Participate in the research and development of the effect performance architecture behind TikTok Camera, the system that delivers smooth, low-power effect experiences to hundreds of millions of creators. - Contribute to the design and implementation of new effect capabilities in the business architecture layer of our self-developed rendering engine, to provide a richer and smoother creation experience for users - Assist in the design and implementation of automated performance analysis pipelines, such as automatic trace capture, agent-assisted bottleneck analysis, and regression detection, to assess effect performance at various stages - Using profiling and optimization techniques such as frame-time analysis, rendering pipeline tuning, and graceful degradation to improve effect experience across a massive range of mobile devices
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications - Currently pursuing an Undergraduate/Graduate in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Graphics, or a related technical discipline. - Able to commit to working for 12 weeks during the Summer of 2027. - Strong knowledge of data structures and algorithms, proficient in at least one coding language, including but not limited to C++, Python, Javascript. - Curiosity towards graphics, real-time rendering, and mobile performance, and outstanding ability to analyze and solve problems. - Good grasp of software engineering and how to build a system in a scalable and extensive manner. Preferred Qualifications - Passion about performance and solving challenging problems on real devices. - Understanding of real-time rendering and graphics APIs such as OpenGL ES, Metal, or Vulkan. - Experience in GPU and rendering performance analysis tools such as RenderDoc, Xcode GPU Debugger, Perfetto, or Snapdragon Profiler. - Interest in AI Agent development, and in exploring how LLM-powered tools can improve engineering workflows. By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://careers.tiktok.com/legal/privacy
Job Information
[For Pay Transparency]Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $45- $45.
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:
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 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.
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