Principal Scientist R&D

Hershey Company; Hershey, Northern (PA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellbeing benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Principal Scientist, R&D in Hershey, PA. You will lead complex salty snack product development across popcorn, chips, and baked snacks, guiding formulation, process optimization, and commercialization from concept to launch.

Ideal candidates have 7–10+ years in food R&D, deep expertise in ingredient functionality, and strong cross-functional leadership. The role emphasizes innovation, regulatory compliance, and scalable manufacturing excellence.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Grain Science, or related discipline.
• Bachelor's degree with 12–15 years of experience considered with requirement.
• Strong technical fundamentals in snacks, food science, and product development.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for salty snack product development initiatives.
• Serve as SME across core snack technologies (popcorn, chips, baked snacks).
• Lead formulation development, process optimization, and commercialization activities.

Skills

Technical leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Education

MS or PhD in Food Science

BS with 12-15 years experience

Tools

Rheology

Thermal analysis

Microstructure characterization

Job description

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Principal Scientist R&D

Posted Date: Sep 4, 2026

Requisition Number: 130025

Location: Hershey, PA

Why Hershey:

At The Hershey Company, our culture is rooted in purpose and inspired by Milton Hershey’s enduring vision that business should create opportunity for others. Through our commitment to corporate philanthropy, we create positive impact by supporting communities, helping children thrive, and operating as a business for good. This includes our deep and long standing partnership with Milton Hershey School, where we invest in education, workforce readiness, and hands on engagement to help students succeed beyond the classroom. Supported by strategic grantmaking, product donations, cross brand collaboration, and strong employee volunteerism, Hershey offers a place to work where making a difference—locally and globally—is part of how we do business every day.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands. With a strong portfolio across chocolate, confectionery, and salty snacks, Hershey delights consumers every day. Our beloved brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, KitKat®, Dots Pretzels, Lesser Evil, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, and more.

At Hershey, we are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities where we live, work, and do business. This commitment originated with our founder, Milton Hershey, and continues to shape who we are today.

Guided by our employee value proposition, Lead Today. Create Tomorrow, we empower our people to drive impact now while shaping what comes next. Our One Hershey mindset brings teams together across functions, geographies, and businesses, enabling us to operate with speed, collaboration, and shared purpose.

The Hershey Company is proud to be recognized as a top employer in the United States, reflecting our commitment to our people, culture, and purpose.

How will you fit in the big picture?

The Principal Scientist, Salty Snacks, is a senior technical leader within the Technical Product Development & Optimization organization, responsible for driving innovation, product development, and process optimization across a diverse portfolio of snack platforms. Serving as a recognized technical expert in wet-popped and air-popped popcorn, baking science, tortilla chips, potato chips, expanded snacks, and emerging snack forms, this role leads complex product and process development initiatives from concept through commercialization. The position integrates advanced scientific, regulatory, consumer, operational, and business considerations to develop differentiated products that enhance performance, quality, safety, manufacturability, and market relevance.

The role provides technical leadership across cross-functional teams, guiding strategic technical decisions, resolving complex development challenges, and influencing the long-term direction of product, process, and technology platforms. Working closely with partners across Marketing, Consumer Insights, Quality, Engineering, Procurement, and Operations, the Principal Scientist shapes innovation pipelines, supports commercialization and capability-building efforts, and ensures alignment between technical solutions and business objectives. Through technical mentorship, thought leadership, and the application of emerging technologies and advanced methodologies, this role strengthens organizational capability, advances technical excellence, and contributes to the long‑term growth strategy of the Salty Snacks business.

What will you do?

• Provide technical leadership for complex salty snack product development initiatives, ensuring products meet consumer, market, regulatory, quality, cost, and manufacturing requirements. Apply scientific expertise and evidence-based decision making to develop differentiated, scalable solutions that support business growth and category objectives.
• Serve as the subject matter expert across core salty snack technologies, including wet-popped popcorn, air-popped popcorn, baking science, tortilla chips, potato chips, expanded snacks, and emerging snack platforms. Leverage deep technical knowledge to solve complex product and process challenges, advance innovation, and guide strategic technical decisions.
• Lead formulation development, process optimization, and commercialization activities from concept through launch. Oversee prototyping, ingredient system development, pilot plant trials, scale‑up activities, and factory implementation to deliver products that meet performance, quality, cost, sustainability, and manufacturability objectives.
• Develop and maintain technical specifications, standards, and documentation for ingredients, products, and manufacturing processes that ensure regulatory compliance, quality consistency, operational effectiveness, and alignment with global manufacturing capabilities.
• Drive technical strategy and innovation pipeline development by partnering with commercial, consumer insights, quality, engineering, procurement, and operations teams to assess opportunities, prioritize initiatives, manage technical risk, and establish executable pathways for near‑ and mid‑term innovation.
• Apply advanced scientific and data‑driven methodologies to improve producto performance, sensory experience, shelf life, manufacturing efficiency, and process capability, while identifying and implementing emerging technologies and innovative approaches.
• Support capital projects, equipment selection, and manufacturing capability development through a strong understanding of process‑product interactions, processing technologies, and operational requirements.
• Influence organizational technical capability and thought leadership by identifying systemic challenges, developing innovative solutions, and advocating for new technologies, modernized methods, and best practices that strengthen competitive advantage.
• Mentor and develop scientists, engineers, and technicians, fostering technical excellence, critical thinking, and capability growth across the organization. Serve as a technical resource and representative in internal forums, supplier collaborations, and external industry engagements.

Experience

• 7-10+ years of experience in food R&D, preferably within salty snacks, cereals, extrusion, frying, or baking.
• Deep technical expertise in popcorn, chips, baked snacks, and expanded systems.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, frying, extrusion, thermal processing, and baking systems.
• Demonstrated excellence in commercialization and pilot‑to‑plant scale‑up.
• Strong business acumen, communication, and cross‑functional leadership.
• Expert‑level understanding of at least three of the following areas: popcorn technology, baking science, chip manufacturing, extrusion/expansion, fats/oils chemistry, thermal processing.
• Demonstrated success leading complex product and process development projects.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with ability to apply scientific principles to manufacturing environments.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and influencing skills.

Preferred

• Experience with commercialization in multiple manufacturing plants.
• Strong background in ingredient functionality, starch/protein chemistry, and textural science.
• Experience using analytical tools including rheology, thermal analysis, and microstructure characterization.
• Track record of innovation, patents, or breakthrough product launches.
• Demonstrated people leadership, talent development, and team engagement capability.

Education

• MS or PhD in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Grain Science, or a related discipline.
• Will consider Bachelors in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Grain Science, or a related discipline with 12 - 15years experience minimum.

Benefits and Perks

At Hershey, we offer competitive pay and a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and life outside of work.

• Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus wellness programs that support your physical and mental health
• Financial Security: Competitive pay, annual incentive opportunities, and a 401(k) with company match
• Time Off & Flexibility: Paid time off, company holidays, and flexible ways of working where applicable
• Growth & Development: Career development programs, learning opportunities, and internal mobility

Benefits may vary based on role, location, and eligibility.

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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