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Future Opportunities Product Development Intern R&D (Summer 2027)

Posted Date:  Aug 14, 2026
Requisition Number:  130016

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.

Product Development Intern R&D (Summer 2027) 

Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States 

Location: Hershey, PA 

Duration:  May 2027 – August 2027 

  

R&D Product Development Intern  

Overview 
Residing at the Hershey Company's Technical Center, this position involves a unique opportunity to work within the Research & Development team. This team is responsible for evaluating new technologies and ingredients for improving current processes and products and providing new product opportunities through (1) researching new discoveries, (2) taking product concept to prototype, and (3) scaling up through to commercialization. The Product Development Intern will work independently, and as a part of cross functional teams to achieve goals on project assignments. The successful candidate should be able to interact with many different types of individuals including various scientists, product developers, marketing, sensory, consumer research and management. 
  
This successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in either Chocolate, Sweets and Refreshments, Better For You/Protein, Salty, International Product Development.  This role will require individuals to demonstrate leadership, solve technical problems, create new prototypes, screen or test flavors and colors, design recipes or processes, data analysis and present results.  

 

Potential Duties/Responsibilities: 

Project responsibilities include carrying out experimental designs, creating prototypes, performing experiments, and reporting results. Daily work responsibilities will include creating trial protocol with the use of DOE principle, use of benchtop development, prototype evaluation, analyzing experimental data, executing experiments on pilot scale equipment, and preparing trial reports including next steps.  
  

  • Provide support to research projects or portions of larger projects which provide innovative new products and/or product/process improvements in R&D.  

  • Perform prototyping and development from benchtop to pilot plant to full manufacturing scale.  

  • Test ideas through experimentation, applying technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.    

  • Determine next steps through problem solving while understanding the business impact.  

  • Assist team in accomplishing project tasks.  

  • Interact closely with a cross-functional group of technical, professional, and managerial staff of R&D, as well as production, engineering, sensory, science and technology, analytical and marketing.   

  • Provide input for technical feasibility for new product concepts.  

  • Partner with Supply Chain to provide technical support to drive quality and value improvement in products and processes.  

 

 

Qualifications: 

 
Education 

  • Majors: Food Science, Engineering (Food Processing, Chemical, Ag & Biological, etc.), Chemistry, Biology 

  • Must be pursuing an undergraduate Bachelor's degree (preferably junior or senior) 

  • Minimum GPA: 3.0  

 

Experience 

  • Prior internships with related experience are highly valued 

 

Minimum Knowledge/ skills/ abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities  

  • Strong interest in hands-on work and applying technical rigor and scientific principles and practices 

  • Highly motivated 

  • Comfortable with laboratory and pilot plant equipment 

  • Proficient in written and communication skills 

  • Computer literate (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) 

  • Demonstrated problem solving and evaluation capabilities 

  • Excellent troubleshooting skills  

  • Able to work independently, and as part of a team environment 

  • Must be open and comfortable with change. 

Things the prospective candidate should know:  

  • The prospective candidate will be responsible for identifying a reliable source of transportation during the duration of the internship, preferably a car. 

  • Allergy Statements: 

  • The prospective candidate should be aware that they may need to handle allergens including dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, eggs and other food ingredient chemicals and allergens while wearing appropriate PPE during their internship. 

  • The manufacturing facility where this internship is located handles the following allergens on a regular basis (dairy, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, egg, sesame). 

 

 

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 +1 877-804-1794 and leave a voicemail with your contact information.  You may also email a request for accommodation to ApplicationHelp@hersheys.com. 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.


Nearest Major Market: Harrisburg

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