Staff Scientist Popcorn & Kid Snacking

The Hershey Company; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, &

Financial Security: Competitive pay &

Time Off & Flexibility: PTO & holidays

Growth & Development: Training &mob

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Staff Scientist for Popcorn & Kid Snacking in Hershey, PA. You will lead product and process development across tortilla, potato, and other fried snack platforms, acting as a technical expert to shape the long-term category roadmap.

You will collaborate with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, and Consumer Insights, mentoring junior teams and driving manufacturing excellence. 15–30% travel expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, or related field.
• Strong experience in fried snacks (tortilla chips, potato chips, extruded snacks or related).
• Proven ability to lead technical projects independently and commercialization.
• Experience designing and executing pilot plant and manufacturing trials.
• Knowledge of DOE, statistical analysis, and sensory evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex product and process development projects from concept through commercialization.
• Serve as the technical expert in fried snack technologies including tortilla chips and potato chips.
• Design and execute laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing trials with sound experimental design.
• Identify and troubleshoot manufacturing challenges relating to frying, masa processing, and shelf-life performance.
• Drive process optimization through frying science, heat transfer, oil management, and moisture control.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, and Consumer Insights.
• Provide mentorship to junior scientists and development teams.
• Support capability-building initiatives to strengthen the snack innovation pipeline.
• Travel approximately 15–30% for plant trials and supplier visits.

Skills

Fried snacks expertise

DOE

Statistical analysis

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s in Food Science/Engineering

Master’s in Food Science/Engineering

PhD in Food Science/Engineering

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.

Job Location: Hershey, PAWhy 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 CompanyThe 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 the Staff Scientist Popcorn & Kid Snacking, you will be a key technical leader within Hershey’s salty snacks business, advancing innovation, renovation, and productivity initiatives across tortilla chips, potato chips, and other fried snack platforms. Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Popcorn and Kid Snacking, this role serves as a subject matter expert in fried snack technology and helps shape the long-term technical roadmap for the category. Based at the Hershey Technical Center, you will collaborate across Research & Development, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Marketing, Consumer Insights, and Sensory to bring winning products to market and drive manufacturing excellence. What will you do?

• 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.

Minimum Education & RequirementsExperience:

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• Strong experience in fried snacks, preferably including tortilla chips, potato chips, extruded snacks, or related categories required.
• Demonstrated success commercializing products from benchtop development through plant startup.
• Experience designing and executing pilot plant and manufacturing trials.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis, DOE, process optimization, sensory evaluation, and consumer learning.
• Proven ability to lead technical problem-solving within manufacturing environments.
• Experience influencing cross-functional teams and leading complex technical projects independently.

Education:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Benefits And PerksAt 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 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 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.