Packaging Specialist

Hershey Company; Bluffton (IN); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Packaging Specialist to coordinate and perform activities in the packing room, focusing on machine reliability, process improvements, and SQF compliance. The role begins with aligning training and staffing for the shift from 6:00pm to 6:00am.

You will work with plant teams to optimize equipment, reduce waste, and support R&D and CapEx initiatives while maintaining safety and quality standards.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years snack food manufacturing machine experience.
• High School education required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Determine skill set of PMOs and provide feedback and training.
• Provide input on PMO bids and maintain PMO progression program.
• Track and improve machine reliability and MTBF/MTTF targets.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair packaging equipment including conveyors, scales, and packing machines.
• Assist with CapEx design and implementations and support R&D as needed.
• Coordinate with Supervisors, PMO Training Specialist and Plant Management to meet SQF and KPI goals.

Skills

Machine operation

Quality control

Communication

Problem solving

Education

High School Education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

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Note:If you apply for a role at Hershey through our career’s website, we may use technologies that use automation to filter your candidacy based on objective criteria. We also use AI-enabled tools that help us facilitate the selection of our future Hershey talent. These tools may help with activities such as matching and scoring candidates to roles based on requirements and scheduling interviews. These systems process only the information you provide in your application, including your resume, work history, education, and responses to screening questions. While these technologies assist with certain steps in our recruitment process and may provide recommendations, all final decisions, including those affecting whether candidates advance to subsequent stages in the applicant process, are made by our talent acquisition teams with meaningful human review and independent judgment. Depending on your location and the specific role you apply for, additional disclosures about our use of AI in recruitment may be provided to you separately.

Packaging Specialist

Posted Date: Oct 24, 2026

Requisition Number: 129043

Job Overview

Job Summary

Responsible for coordinating and/or performing activities related to packing room machine reliability, machine, and process improvements, SQF compliance, training needs, R&D, and PMO qualifications.

Schedule

6:00pm to 6:00am

Accountabilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Determine skill set of all PMO’s and/or potential candidates and provide feedback and recommendations as well as needed training.
• Provide input on PMO bids.
• Review, maintain, update, and train employees based on PMO Tier Progression program.
• Implement corrective action plans to reduce waste by 10% each year until waste is under 3%. Provide quarterly reports to Plant Management
• Manage parts inventory to facilitate repairs and PMO PM’s. Work with ATS Site Manager, Planner/Scheduler, Engineering, and Parts Specialist
• Develop a systematic maintenance schedule for PMO’s based on manufacturer’s recommendation and tribal knowledge of equipment. Submit to ATS Planner/Scheduler for system inclusion. Track PMO PM Completions for SQF compliance
• Track and improve MTTF and MTBF for key areas determined with Plant Management. Target 10% improvement by machine and operator
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair equipment including conveyors, scales, packing machines, etc. in conjunction with employees.
• Assess machine rates for current and new products and maintain/improve rates.
• Assist with R&D and sample requests as needed.
• Assist with CapEx design and implementations.
• Assist with equipment needs throughout facility as needed.
• Maintain/coordinate metal detector health and reliability.
• Provide input to Supervisors and PMO Training Specialist to hold all PMO’s accountable for their entire job performance.
• You will be empowered and held accountable for the above listed job responsibilities.
• All ancillary equipment (i.e., formers, etc.) will be your responsibility to maintain and inventory.
• Support all plant SQF and KPI goals including continuous improvement initiatives, foreign material investigations, metal detector deviations, and customer complaint investigations.
• Continuously seek and complete technical trainings as needed.

Relationships/Contacts

• Work with employees, supervisors, trainers, and training department to continuously improve training program, employee skills, and troubleshooting guides.
• Work with Engineering, Maintenance, and outside resources as needed to maintain/improve equipment.
• Track current film waste by operator and by machine and determine corrective actions using root cause analysis. Work with PMO Training Specialist and PMO’s to improve operator effectiveness.
• Track and communicate packing operator PM and span adjustment compliance to meet SQF requirements.
• PMO’s will report to Plant Management for production matters and provide the Packaging Specialist updates as it pertains to his/her responsibilities.

Prior Experience

Qualifications

• 3-5 years snack food manufacturing machine experience or equivalent.
• High School Education.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong verbal and written communication skills; the ability to change communication style to relate information in a variety of ways based on the learner.
• Ability to read and write business-related correspondence proficiently.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Outlook.
• Strong organizational, leadership skills and ability to multi-task and work independently.
• Green Belt certificate or ability to obtain.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans.

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