Staff Engineer Packaging

Hershey Company; United States; On-site; USD 114,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) match

Paid time off

Career development

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Packaging Sustainability Engineer in Hershey, PA to advance our packaging priorities across materials, testing, and scalable solutions. You will evaluate new materials, lead trials, and collaborate with suppliers, operations, and regulatory teams to protect product quality and reduce environmental impact.

You will translate sustainability goals into actionable workplans, document outcomes, and mentor colleagues while monitoring emerging technologies and

Qualifications

• Experience with packaging development, engineering, sustainability, or related field.
• that be truncated
• Preferred knowledge of regulatory packaging changes and EPR.

Responsibilities

• Lead sustainable packaging projects focused on recyclability and material efficiency.

Skills

Packaging materials knowledge

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

SAP

PLM/PDM

Microsoft Office

Sustainability reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Materials Science

Tools

SAP

PLM/PDM

Specification systems

Packaging data dashboards

Microsoft Office

Project management tools

Sustainability reporting

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.

Location: Hershey, PA (Onsite)

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?

As a Packaging Sustainability Engineer, you will help bring The Hershey Company’s packaging sustainability priorities to life. You will apply packaging engineering expertise to evaluate and qualify new materials, lead testing and trials, and support scalable solutions that protect product quality, consumer experience, manufacturability, cost, and regulatory compliance. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate across the business and with external partners to advance practical, high-impact packaging improvements.

What will you do?

• 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.

Minimum Education & Requirements

Experience: 5+ years of relevant experience in packaging development, packaging engineering, material science, sustainability, or a related technical field.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering preferred; Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Environmental Engineering, or a related technical field is acceptable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of packaging materials, converting technologies, equipment interaction, manufacturability, quality requirements, and specification management across flexible, rigid, paper-based, corrugate, film, resin, polymer, fiber-based, or emerging material systems.
• Experience executing packaging trials, supplier evaluations, technical qualifications, specification updates, commercialization support, and sustainable packaging implementation.
• Knowledge of sustainable packaging principles and regulatory-driven packaging change, including EPR, recyclability claims, recycled content, labeling, packaging data, or carbon reduction.
• Strong analytical, project management, communication, and cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Working knowledge of SAP, PLM/PDM, specification systems, packaging data dashboards, Microsoft Office, project management tools, or sustainability reporting inputs.

Benefits and Perks

• 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 $114,480 to $143,100 per 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. 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.