Central Policy Lead, High Harm - Trust and Safety

To us, every challenge, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity; to learn, to innovate, and to grow as one team. Status quo? Never. Courage? Always.

At TikTok, we create together and grow together. That's how we drive impact - for ourselves, our company, and the communities we serve.

Join us.

Building a world where people can safely discover, create and connect. The Trust & Safety (T&S) team at TikTok helps ensure that our global online community is safe and empowered to create and enjoy content across all of our applications. We have invested heavily in human and machine-based moderation to remove harmful content quickly and often before it reaches our general community.

The Trust & Safety Policy team develops and reviews our community policies to promote a positive and safe environment for all of our Users and Content Creators to enjoy and express themselves.

We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic Manager of High Harm Policies to join our Trust and Safety team. This role involves leading the development, implementation, and oversight of policies and enforcement strategies to mitigate high-harm behaviors, content, and activities across our platforms. The ideal candidate has a deep understanding of harm prevention, risk assessment, and policy frameworks, and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

It is possible that this role will be exposed to harmful content as part of the core role as part of project in response to escalation requests by chance.

Some content viewed may violate our community guidelines which include but are not limited to bullying; hate speech; child abuse; sexual assault; torture; bestiality; self-harm; suicide; murder.

Responsibilities
1. Enforcement Strategy:
- Develop scalable enforcement guidelines for trust and safety operations teams to ensure consistent and effective policy application.
- Work with engineering teams to implement tooling and automation solutions to support policy enforcement and reduce operational burden.
2. Risk Assessment and Harm Reduction:
- Conduct research and leverage data to identify emerging high-risk trends and areas of potential harm.
- Design mitigation strategies, including proactive measures to address these risks at scale.
3. Measurement and Accountability:
- Define metrics to measure the impact and effectiveness of high harm policies.
- Regularly report progress and insights to leadership, identifying opportunities for improvement.

Qualifications

What should I bring with me?

Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in public policy, law, social sciences, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
- 5+ years of experience in trust and safety, public policy, risk management, or a related area.
- Proven experience in creating and enforcing policies related to high harm content, behaviors, or activities.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and research to inform policy decisions.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with internal teams.
- Understanding of global legal and regulatory frameworks related to online safety and harm prevention.

Preferred Qualifications
- Adept at managing diverse individuals with varying skill levels, roles, and backgrounds to achieve shared objectives.
- Effectively communicate complex ideas and recommendations, tailoring messages to different audiences to gain buy-in and support.
- Thrive in ambiguous environments by setting priorities, managing time effectively, and delivering high-quality outcomes.

Trust & Safety recognises that keeping our platform safe for 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 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.