Process Lead

Hershey Company; Edgerton (KS); On-site; USD 85,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Flexible working arrangements

Career development

Job summary

The Hershey Company in Edgerton, KS is seeking a Process Lead to advance Hershey Lean and a zero-loss culture. You will analyze and redesign processes, strengthen service quality, and deliver practical improvements that increase efficiency and reduce waste.

You’ll work with operators, mechanics, and engineers to drive standardizations, lead daily management initiatives, and support capital projects. A Bachelor’s degree and TPM/Lean experience are preferred.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in process improvement, operations, or automated manufacturing environments.
• Lean Manufacturing and TPM experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive daily problem solving and data-driven planning for the assigned Business Unit using loss data.
• Map current-state processes and design future-state workflows.
• Own and strengthen Daily Management Systems and maintain loss data.
• Develop standards for line activities and coach operators to standards.
• Lead process efficiency improvements across production lines and monitor adoption.
• Collaborate with project engineers on system design and start-up and support cost valuations.
• Maintain accurate process documentation and update records.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Lean Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

OSI PI

Power Apps

Power BI

Microsoft 365

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

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.

Process Lead

Posted Date: Oct 1, 2026

Requisition Number: 130598

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.

Location: Edgerton, KS

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) 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 Process Lead is a skilled process improvement subject matter expert who helps advance Hershey Lean and a zero-loss culture within the plant. Working independently and in close collaboration with operators, mechanics, engineering teams, and Business Unit partners, this role analyzes and redesigns processes, strengthens service quality, and delivers practical improvements that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve operational outcomes.

What will you do?

• Drive daily problem solving and data-driven planning for the assigned Business Unit, using performance and loss data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement priorities.
• Map current-state processes, including systems, handoffs, and failure points, then design and document clear future-state workflows.
• Own and strengthen centerline and changeover Daily Management Systems, maintaining accurate loss data and advancing actions through other Daily Management Systems.
• Develop standards for line activities, including changeovers, and coach operators and mechanics to execute those standards consistently.
• Lead process efficiency improvements across production lines and monitor adoption to support successful, sustainable transitions.
• Partner with project engineers and cross-functional teams on system design and start-up, and support financial valuation for pipeline items, capital projects, and new item costing.
• Maintain accurate, accessible process documentation and update records as processes change.

Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience in process improvement, operations, or an automated manufacturing environment. Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is preferred.

Education: Bachelor's degree preferred.

Skills: Strong leadership, communication, influencing, problem-solving, and data analysis capabilities; ability to work independently and take ownership of improvements; understanding of Lean Six Sigma tools. Experience with OSI PI, Power Apps, Power BI, and Microsoft 365 tools is preferred.

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 anticipated base salary range for this role is $84,960 to $106,200per year. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of job‑related factors, including, but not limited to, experience, skill set, education, and training. In addition to a market-competitive base salary, our Total Rewards package includes performance‑based incentives and a comprehensive, competitive benefits package designed to support overall physical, mental, and financial well‑being (as applicable). Learn more about Hershey’s benefits and all the resources Hershey provides to support our employees’ physical, emotional, and financial well‑being by visiting the Hershey Digital Employee Experience at www.askHRbenefits.hersheys.com

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. You may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application process as a result of a disability. You can request an accommodation via phone or email. To request an accommodation via phone, please call [phone] and leave a voicemail with your contact information. If you may also email a request for accommodation to [e-mail]. Please be sure to include "Accommodation Needed" in the subject line. This will ensure that your email is routed to the appropriate contact who will handle your request.