Sr Research Scientist

The Hershey Company; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing benefits

Financial security including 401(k)

Paid time off & holidays

Growth & development programs

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to provide technical leadership in bakery/ confectionery product development and process innovations across Hershey's portfolio. You will leverage formulation expertise and cross-functional collaboration to bring new products from benchtop to pilot plant and full manufacturing.

Ideal candidates will have deep confectionery formulation experience, experience scaling products, and the ability to influence acrossManufacturing, Engineering,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 4-6 years of relevant experience; or Master's with 2-4 years of relevant experience.
• Experience leading innovation, product development, process optimization, or commercialization initiatives.
• Experience with confectionery and chocolate formulation and recipe development.
• Knowledge of confectionery processing technologies including molding, enrobing, and panning.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation, ingredient, and product development activities across multiple medium- to high-complexity projects.
• Execute technical workstreams supporting defined project objectives and communicate risks.
• Apply scientific methods and data-driven decision making to solve technical challenges.
• Drive product innovation through confection and chocolate formulation and recipe development.
• Oversee prototyping, scale-up, and commercialization from benchtop to manufacturing.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or related field

Master's degree in related discipline

Strong problem solving, troubleshooting, project leadership, and influencing skills

Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

Approximately 20% travel within the United States

Job description

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?

Reporting to the Sr. Manager, R&D, the Senior Research Scientist will provide technical leadership across multiple innovation and product development projects within Hershey's confection and chocolate portfolio. This role is responsible for leveraging formulation expertise, scientific rigor, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver new products, product improvements, and process innovations that support business growth.

The ideal candidate will combine strong confectionery product development knowledge with hands‑on experience scaling products from benchtop through pilot plant and full manufacturing. This role offers the opportunity to influence product direction, partner with teams across the enterprise, and help bring innovative solutions to life at the Sweetest Place on Earth.

What will you do?

• Lead formulation, ingredient, and product development activities across multiple medium‑complexity innovation and commercialization projects.
• Execute technical workstreams that support defined project and product objectives, delivering high‑quality technical outputs while identifying and escalating risks as appropriate.
• Apply established scientific methods, research, and analytical approaches to solve moderately complex technical challenges and support data‑driven decision making.
• Drive product innovation through confection and chocolate formulation, recipe development, ingredient evaluation, and product transformation understanding.
• Lead assigned prototyping, scale‑up, and commercialization activities from benchtop through pilot plant and manufacturing implementation.
• Conduct technical assessments and provide recommendations regarding feasibility, product performance, and manufacturing readiness.
• Contribute incremental innovations that improve development processes, experimentation, product quality, efficiency, or technical capabilities.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and external partners to advance short‑ and medium‑term pipeline initiatives.
• Support technology validation, process optimization, quality improvement, and cost‑savings initiatives.
• Translate technical findings into clear recommendations and communicate project updates, challenges, and opportunities to stakeholders and leadership.
• Provide technical support during equipment commissioning, startup, troubleshooting, and commercialization activities.
• Mentor and share technical knowledge with team members while continuing to develop technical breadth across R&D disciplines.

Minimum Education & Requirements

Experience

• 3+ years of relevant experience in food, confectionery, chocolate, ingredient, or product development environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading innovation, product development, process optimization, quality improvement, or commercialization initiatives.
• Experience with confection and chocolate formulation and recipe development.
• Knowledge of confectionery processing technologies including molding, enrobing, and panning.
• Preferred experience with better‑for‑you ingredients such as alternative sweeteners, proteins, fibers, and functional ingredients.
• Strong problem‑solving, troubleshooting, project leadership, and influencing skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment and adapt to changing priorities.
• Approximately 20% travel, primarily within the United States with occasional international travel.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or a related field with 4-6 years of relevant experience; OR
• Master's degree in a related discipline with 2-4 years of relevant experience.

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.

Equal Opportunity / Diversity

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.

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To request an accommodation via phone, please call [phone] and leave a voicemail with your contact information. 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.