Staff Scientist: Fried Snack Innovation Leader

Hershey Company; Hershey, Northern (PA, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

The Hershey Company in Hershey, PA, is seeking a Staff Scientist in Popcorn & Kid Snacking to lead product and process development for fried snacks and to shape the technical roadmap. You will collaborate with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, and sensory teams to bring winning snack innovations to market.

The role requires 5+ years in food science/engineering, a strong fried-snacks background, and experience running pilot plant or manufacturing trials.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in food science or related field.
• Strong background in fried snacks such as tortilla chips or potato chips.
• Experience leading complex technical projects independently.
• Experience designing pilot plant and manufacturing trials.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex product and process development projects from concept through commercialization.
• Serve as the technical expert in fried snack technologies including tortilla chips, potato chips, extruded snacks, and pellet-based products.
• Design and execute laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing trials using sound experimental design and statistical analysis.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve manufacturing challenges related to dough systems, masa processing, potato processing, frying operations, seasoning application, and shelf-life performance.
• Drive process optimization through expertise in frying science, including heat transfer, oil management, moisture control, oxidation, filtration, and acrylamide mitigation.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, Consumer Insights, and Sensory teams to deliver business objectives.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior scientists and development teams.
• Support capability‑building initiatives that strengthen Hershey's salty snack innovation pipeline and manufacturing network.
• Travel approximately 15-30% to support plant trials, supplier visits, and testing activities.

Skills

Fried snack tech

DOE

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in Food Science/Engineering

Job description

The Hershey Company in Hershey, PA, is seeking a Staff Scientist in Popcorn & Kid Snacking to lead product and process development for fried snacks and to shape the technical roadmap. You will collaborate with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, and sensory teams to bring winning snack innovations to market.

The role requires 5+ years in food science/engineering, a strong fried-snacks background, and experience running pilot plant or manufacturing trials.