Staff Scientist, Salty R&D

The Hershey Company; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, &

401(k) with company match

Paid time off & holidays

Internal mobility & development

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Staff Scientist, Salty R&D at the Hershey Technical Center in Hershey, PA. You will provide technical leadership for medium to high complexity product development projects across the Salty Snacks portfolio, delivering innovation and maintaining quality from concept to commercialization.

You will mentor junior scientists, collaborate with Marketing, Manufacturing, Engineering, and external partners, and travel up to 30% as needed to accelerate results.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in food science, product development, or related technical disciplines.
• Proven track record of commercializing new products and delivering improvements.
• Experience with baked snack formulation, processing, sensory evaluation, and scale-up.
• Ability to lead multiple projects with limited supervision.
• Strong collaboration across functions and with external partners; mentoring experience.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office and adaptability to new systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development projects from concept through commercialization with cross-functional teams.
• Drive next-generation baked and salty snack products through formulation, process, and scale-up.
• Identify and evaluate emerging ingredients, technologies, and industry trends via suppliers and events.
• Design, execute, document, and communicate research on salty snack formulation and baking processes.
• Provide technical expertise for innovation, renovation, and maintenance across the portfolio.
• Support data accuracy and enrichment in Hershey systems; mentor junior scientists.
• Build relationships with suppliers, consultants, and industry experts to accelerate results.
• Travel domestically up to 25-30% as required.

Skills

Food science

Product development

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Education

BS, MS, or PhD in Food Science or related

Tools

Microsoft Office

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.

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, Salty R&D and based at the Hershey Technical Center in Hershey, PA, the Staff Scientist, Salty R&D will provide technical leadership for medium to high complexity product development initiatives across the Hershey Salty Snacks portfolio. This role operates with a high level of autonomy, partnering cross-functionally to deliver innovation, renovation, and maintenance projects from concept through commercialization. The successful candidate will leverage strong scientific expertise, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to develop next-generation baked and salty snack products while supporting key brands across the Dot’s and filled pretzel platforms.

What will you do?

• Lead product development projects from concept through commercialization, partnering with Marketing, suppliers, Manufacturing, Engineering, QRC, Project Management, and Innovation teams.
• Drive development of next-generation baked and salty snack products through formulation, process development, and scale-up.Identify and evaluate emerging ingredients, technologies, and industry trends through supplier engagement and industry events.
• Design, execute, document, and communicate research related to salty snack formulation and baking processes.Analyze technical and consumer data to generate actionable insights and recommendations.
• Provide technical expertise supporting innovation, renovation, and maintenance initiatives across the Salty Snacks portfolio.
• Support product and research data accuracy and enrichment within S4 and other Hershey systems.
• Mentor junior scientists and provide technical guidance to Manufacturing and cross-functional partners.
• Build and leverage relationships with suppliers, consultants, and industry experts to accelerate business results.
• Travel domestically up to 25-30% as required.

Minimum Education & Requirements

• 5+ years of relevant experience in food science, product development, or related technical disciplines. This aligns with Hershey’s job level guidance requiring 5+ years of relevant experience for comparable senior technical leadership roles.
• Proven record of successfully commercializing new products and delivering product improvements.
• Experience with baked snack formulation, processing, sensory evaluation, analytical testing, and scale-up activities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision.
• Strong collaboration skills and experience working across functions and with external partners, including suppliers, consultants, and co-manufacturers.
• Experience mentoring junior scientists and providing technical leadership to cross-functional teams.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn new systems and platforms.
• Ability to occasionally support projects outside standard business hours, including nights or weekends.

Education:

• BS, MS, or PhD in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with baked snacks formulation and processing is required.

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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