Senior Packaging Sustainability Engineer

Hershey Company; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 114,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing

Financial Security

Time Off & Flexibility

Growth & Development

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Packaging Sustainability Engineer in Hershey, PA to lead packaging sustainability initiatives, evaluate new materials, and coordinate cross-functional teams for scalable, cost-effective solutions that protect product quality and meet regulatory requirements.

You will collaborate with procurement, operations, quality, regulatory, and partners to drive material reduction, recyclability, and lifecycle improvements across Hershey’s packaging portfolio.

Qualifications

• Experience in packaging development, packaging engineering, material science, sustainability, or related technical field.
• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering preferred; related technical degrees acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Execute sustainable packaging projects focused on recyclability, recycled content, material efficiency, circularity, and greenhouse gas reduction while maintaining product protection, quality, and manufacturing reliability.
• Evaluate new packaging materials and technologies through supplier reviews, feasibility assessments, laboratory testing, design of experiments, transport simulations, line trials, technical qualification, specification updates, and post-launch follow-up.
• Partner with suppliers, converters, material developers, recyclers, and technology providers to identify and advance sustainable material solutions for potential commercialization.
• Translate established sustainability priorities, customer and consumer needs, and regulatory requirements into practical technical workplans, test methods, risk assessments, and implementation steps.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Legal, Commercial, Marketing, Finance, Sustainability, and equipment partners to deliver solutions that are technically sound, cost effective, scalable, and compliant.
• Use packaging data, lifecycle thinking, supplier inputs, and sustainability analytics to develop clear technical recommendations and identify material reduction and performance opportunities.
• Support packaging regulatory readiness, including Extended Producer Responsibility, recyclability claims, labeling implications, recycled content requirements, and packaging data needs.
• Document specifications, testing outcomes, technical decisions, assumptions, risks, and implementation requirements; share learnings and provide technical guidance to project partners and less experienced engineers.
• Monitor emerging packaging technologies, material science developments, recycling infrastructure, customer expectations, and regulatory trends and apply relevant insights to assigned projects.

Skills

Analytical skills

Project management

Communication

Cross-functional influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Materials Science

Polymer Science

Environmental Engineering

Tools

SAP

PLM/PDM

Microsoft Office

Packaging data dashboards

Job description

The Hershey Company is seeking a Packaging Sustainability Engineer in Hershey, PA to lead packaging sustainability initiatives, evaluate new materials, and coordinate cross-functional teams for scalable, cost-effective solutions that protect product quality and meet regulatory requirements.

You will collaborate with procurement, operations, quality, regulatory, and partners to drive material reduction, recyclability, and lifecycle improvements across Hershey’s packaging portfolio.