Position:                       Sr. Packaging Engineer

Location:                      Hershey, PA  

Duties: Responsible for the design and technical development of packaging solutions for new and existing products. Work independently to develop, test and recommend packaging design proposals for implementation at Hershey’s North American manufacturing and retail locations. Responsible for detailed documentation of specifications and material management data to ensure successful product-packaging commercialization. Working closely with business partners, the Senior Engineer will create packaging solutions that help drive retail sales and support new product innovation. Lead cost savings and sustainability initiatives by working collaboratively with Vendors, Manufacturing, Marketing and Equipment Engineering. Collaborate with Marketing and Supply Chain on project objectives and expectations. Research, develop design proposals, test and implement packaging solution. Design, test and execute customer-specific merchandising solutions. Provide recommendations on graphic elements, printing processes and substrates for merchandising solutions. Present design recommendations to key stakeholders for review. Ensure project success by keeping projects on-schedule through strong communication while evaluating technical data. Determine packaging material specifications that maintain appropriate product shelf-life integrity, while minimizing cost. Optimize packaging designs to drive throughput and labor efficiencies for manual and automated manufacturing systems. Conduct value analysis and cost reduction activities on packaging materials and labor requirements. Provide support to Manufacturing during new product-packaging qualifications and start-ups. Support investigation and analysis of packaging failures and develop/implement corrective actions accordingly. Conduct analytical testing on materials and interpret data findings; clearly recommend proposals as a result of findings. Create specifications and ensure the accuracy of mechanical drawings, artwork layout, and assembly guidelines. Develop packaging bill of materials and enter into material management system. Approve graphic files and dielines for production. Domestic and international travel required: 5-25%. Hybrid remote work is permitted.

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Graphic Design or a related field and six years of experience in Packaging Development or a related occupation. Experience must include but need not be maintained over the full term of experience:

1. Experience with manufacturing and assembly processes and high-speed automation
2. Understanding impact of changes to packaging design on processes, lead-time, resources, and development costs
3. Demonstrated technical knowledge of packaging materials, printing processes and converting (i.e., corrugate, molded plastic, flexible film, paper-based)
4. Work in merchandising solutions
5. Translating internal/external customer needs into relevant and effective packaging solutions
6. Designing and interpreting transport simulations, lab and plant testing
7. Managing workload of 40 to 60 projects simultaneously
8. Making independent product strategy decisions without oversight