Staff Scientist R&D Process Technology

Hershey Company; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing

Financial Security

Time Off & Flexibility

Growth & Development

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Staff Scientist, Process Technology in R&D to provide technical leadership for complex process development programs. The role focuses on scaling up chocolate and related product processes across Salty Snacks, Sweets & Refreshments, and BFY categories, aligning with business goals.

Responsibilities include leading development from early research to commercialization, mentoring engineers, and partnering with Manufacturing, Quality, and Procurement to drive

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of related experience in process technology or R&D in food manufacturing.
• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering field; chemical, food, biological, or mechanical engineering preferred.
• Experience leading complex process development programs and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex process development and validation programs across multiple product platforms.
• Identify and advance new process technologies to support innovation and growth.
• Provide technical leadership for high-complexity projects from R&D to commercialization.
• Drive scale-up from early development through pilot and commercial implementation.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver commercially viable process solutions.
• Transfer knowledge to Product Development, Commercialization, Operations, and Manufacturing teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and lead technicians supporting development activities.
• Build external technical networks with suppliers, research institutes, and universities.

Skills

Process engineering

Food science

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

B.S. in Chemical Engineering

B.S. in Food Engineering

B.S. in Biological Engineering

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

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Note:If you apply for a role at Hershey through our career’s website, we may use technologies that use automation to filter your candidacy based on objective criteria. We also use AI-enabled tools that help us facilitate the selection of our future Hershey talent. These tools may help with activities such as matching and scoring candidates to roles based on requirements and scheduling interviews. These systems process only the information you provide in your application, including your resume, work history, education, and responses to screening questions. While these technologies assist with certain steps in our recruitment process and may provide recommendations, all final decisions, including those affecting whether candidates advance to subsequent stages in the applicant process, are made by our talent acquisition teams with meaningful human review and independent judgment. Depending on your location and the specific role you apply for, additional disclosures about our use of AI in recruitment may be provided to you separately.

Staff Scientist R&D Process Technology

Posted Date: Aug 13, 2026

Requisition Number: 129565

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. OurOne Hersheymindset 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, Process Technology R&D, the Staff Engineer, Process Technology R&D provides technical leadership for complex process development programs within The Hershey Company’s Research & Development organization. This role applies process engineering and food science expertise to develop scalable process technologies that support innovation, validation, and commercialization across key product platforms.

The primary focus of this position is leading chocolate and process development work across Salty Snacks, Better-for-You, CMG, Sweets & Refreshments, focusing on Baking, Protein, Fiber, and Wafers. The role leads technical strategy and process development from early research through commercial implementation, ensuring solutions are technically sound, scalable, and aligned with business objectives.

This position also contributes to strategic technical direction within R&D by leading high-complexity projects with a high degree of autonomy and partnering effectively with cross-functional teams to advance business priorities.

What will you do?

• Lead complex process development and validation programs across Better-for-You, Salty Snacks, CMG, Sweets & Refreshments platforms.
• Identify, evaluate, and advance new process technologies that support innovation and business growth.
• Provide technical leadership for high-complexity projects in multitexture and baked product, across multiple platforms (Salty, Sweet, BFY, etc.,) including process development and finished product commercialization.
• Drive scale-up from early development through pilot and commercial implementation.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver commercially viable process solutions aligned with business objectives.
• Transfer technical knowledge, process learnings, and recommendations to Product Development, Commercialization, Operations, and Manufacturing teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide leadership and direction to technicians supporting development activities.
• Build and maintain external technical networks with suppliers, research institutes, universities, and industry experts where appropriate.

B S in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field with 8 to 10 years of related experience.

Experience working in or around food processing, snacks, Fiber, Protein, Baking, Tortilla Chips, and Wafers is preferred.

This role will interact and partner with:

• Technical and professional employees within Global R&D including Product Development
• Manufacturing, Operations, and Plant Quality Assurance
• Quality and Regulatory Compliance
• Sensory
• Legal
• Procurement
• Marketing
• Commercialization Engineering
• External business partners, suppliers, research institutes, and universities

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.

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.

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