Assoc Mgr R&D US CMG Kit Kat & Variety

The Hershey Company • Lower Swatara Township, PA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Manager Kit Kat Research & Development and working at The Hershey Company’s Technical Center, the Associate Manager position provides both managerial and project leadership with ~40% of the individual’s time focused on managerial and organizational initiatives and ~60% focused on medium complexity product development initiatives. This position would also start to drive various strategic initiatives while also executing on all workstreams. Medium to high autonomy across all initiatives is required. A successful candidate consistently demonstrates and applies managerial skills and technical knowledge and expertise. This candidate has proven problem solving skills and is a critical thinker, resulting in problem resolution and process improvements. The successful candidate can communicate complex or technical subject matter to different audiences at different levels within the organization. This candidate has the capability to influence stakeholders and leverage networks to provide solutions.

Requirements

• Experience leading innovation initiatives, which could include product development, quality improvement, cost improvement, technology validation and process optimization.
• Demonstrated knowledge in confection and chocolate formulation and process development.
• Strong knowledge of various technical disciplines (Sensory, Research, Engineering and Packaging)
• Demonstrated influencing skills
• Demonstrated problem solving and evaluation capabilities.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The candidate much be able to work independently, and as part of a team in a fast-paced, growth-oriented business.

Nice To Haves

• Introductory experience in people management such as Interns, Co-ops, and technicians is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead managerial and organizational initiatives (~40% FTE) and product development projects (~60% FTE) which provide innovative new products within Chocolate Research and Development. These areas include formulation development, ingredient development and product transformation interactions.
• Proactively identify organizational and strategic opportunities, define scope, engage, influence, and align stakeholders, successfully implement changes, and monitor and implement continuous improvements
• Management responsibility for 2 - 5 Research Technicians/Assistants or Contractors with the responsibilities of setting organizational priorities, project milestones, people development, and organizational engagement
• Perform prototyping and development from bench top to pilot plant to full manufacturing scale.
• Interact closely with a cross functional group of technical, professional, and managerial staff of R&D, as well as production, engineering, and marketing.
• Understand the business impact of initiatives and projects.
• Apply technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.
• Provide input for technical feasibility for new product concepts.
• Partnering with Supply Chain to provide technical support to drive quality and value improvement in products and process

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree