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Staff Engineer R&D Process Technology

Posted Date:  Jul 15, 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.

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Job Overview

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.

Accountabilities

  • 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.

Minimum Education & Requirements

BS 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

 

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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