Sr Research Scientist Sweets
About The Position
Design innovative products for beloved brands including Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Sour Strips, Ice Breakers, and Bubble Yum! Reporting to the Senior Manager, Sweets & Refreshment, this role is part of The Hershey Company’s Product Development R&D team at the Technical Center in Hershey, PA. The Senior Research Scientist will lead product and process development across hard candy, gummies, licorice, gum, and mints. This role translates consumer insights and business needs into scalable products through formulation, prototyping, pilot plant trials, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization. The successful candidate will bring strong technical expertise, project leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to drive innovation, product improvement, supply continuity, and future technical capabilities across the Sweets & Refreshment portfolio.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, or a related technical field with 4–6 years of relevant experience; Master’s degree with 2–4 years of relevant experience; or PhD with 0–2 years of relevant experience.
- Working knowledge of food, beverage, confectionery, ingredient, consumer packaged goods, or related product development environments is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Lead product development projects across hard candy, gummies, licorice, gum, mints, chewy confections, and sugar-free/polyol systems.
- Develop formulations and prototypes from bench through pilot plant and full-scale manufacturing.
- Partner with Marketing, Consumer Insights, Sensory, Quality, Regulatory, Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Chain, Project Management, Commercialization, Technology Development, and external suppliers/co-manufacturers.
- Support innovation, renovation, capacity expansion, cost savings, supply continuity, and transformation initiatives.
- Design and execute experiments, manufacturing trials, and technical evaluations; analyze results and provide recommendations.
- Build expertise in confectionery and refreshment technologies while mentoring peers and sharing knowledge.
- Foster a collaborative, fast-paced R&D culture focused on technical rigor, problem solving, and consumer-first innovation.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Wellness programs that support your physical and mental health
- Competitive pay
- Annual incentive opportunities
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off
- Company holidays
- Flexible ways of working where applicable
- Career development programs
- Learning opportunities
- Internal mobility
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
