Staff Scientist R&D

The Hershey Company • Lower Swatara Township, PA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Residing at The Hershey Company's Technical Center, this position involves a unique opportunity to work within the Research and Development department. This group is responsible for developing innovative new products for The Hershey Company. The successful candidate for this position will be a major contributor to achieve company goals and programs. The individual should be able to provide input to set priorities and contribute to strategic direction for research programs. Specifically, this candidate will lead complex projects with high levels of autonomy and apply in-depth knowledge of product and process development initiatives within the BFY category. The individual will provide guidance in a cross functional setting, working closely with business partners in Marketing, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Legal to determine project goals and timetables, execute the projects, resolve resource allocation and timing issues, and ensure that business objectives are achieved. The successful candidate will report to the group’s Sr. Manager and work with other senior management to establish strategic direction and goals for research.

Requirements

• Experience leading technical, new product innovation initiatives, which could include product development, quality improvement, cost improvement, technology validation, and process development and optimization.
• Experience with end-to-end innovation from upstream front end to downstream commercialization.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in BFY chocolate/confection formulation, recipe development, and process platforms (chocolate making, moulding, enrobing).
• Strong knowledge of various technical disciplines (Sensory, Research, Engineering and Packaging).
• Understanding the impact of key processing parameters in the conversion of raw ingredients and in-process material to finished product that are critical for the day-to-day operation of a line.
• Strong ability to influence and persuade across functions and levels.
• Proven administrative ability, decision-making skills, financial understanding, business integration skills and technical expertise.
• Strong problem solving and evaluation capabilities.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must be open to and comfortable with change.
• The candidate must be able to work with high levels of autonomy, ambiguity, and as part of a team in a fast-paced, growth-oriented business.
• Approximately 20% travel required, primarily within the US, but including occasional international travel.
• 10+ years of working experience within food or confection industry.
• Project Leadership, Technical problem solving, Product Development, Process Engineering, and/or Product Commercialization.
• Experience in leading the Product and Process Development portion of multiple projects is required.
• Expert knowledge in the importance of the interactions of ingredients and process unit operations is required.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred experience within the BFY space including, but not limited to, ingredient functionality and formulation principles within protein and sugar replacement.
• master’s or PhD preferred.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field required (Food Science, Food Engineering, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemical, Agricultural, Biological, or Engineering)

Responsibilities

• Lead product and process development projects with high levels of autonomy which provide innovative new products and processes in support of BFY Innovation. These areas include formulation development, ingredient development, product transformation interactions, and process development.
• Perform prototyping and product and process 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 the projects.
• Communicate across multiple functions and levels.
• Obtain and allocate resources for projects as necessary.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and instruction.
• Explore new areas of processing with an eye to invention and breakthrough opportunities.
• Apply intensive and diversified scientific and/or engineering principles and practices.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior