Process CI Engineer

Position: Staff Process CI Engineer
Location:

Hershey, PA preferred, open to remote

Up to 70% Travel Why Hershey At The Hershey Company, we make more moments of goodness through some of the world's most iconic brands, including Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Dot's Pretzels, Lesser Evil and more. Our team supports a global portfolio of over 90 brands, creating opportunities to shape strategies and drive impact across a breadth of businesses that few companies can offer.

While many organizations focus on a handful of brands, Hershey provides exposure to a diverse portfolio of category-leading brands enjoyed by consumers around the world. What truly sets us apart is our legacy. Inspired by Milton Hershey's belief that business should create opportunity for others, we have been making a positive impact for more than a century through our commitment to communities, philanthropy, and our longstanding partnership with Milton Hershey School.

When you join Hershey, you become part of a company where purpose, growth, and making a difference are woven into how we do business every day.

How will you fit in the big picture?

As a Staff Process CI Engineer within Enterprise Continuous Improvement, you will help advance Hershey's multi-year improvement plan by identifying, developing, and implementing product and process optimization opportunities across the manufacturing network. You will lead or support complex initiatives spanning Hershey's Global Confectionery and Salty Business Units, improving cost, capacity, quality, safety, and supply continuity. This role manages work from concept through sustainable plant handoff and partners with plant teams, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and cross-functional stakeholders.

What will you do?
· Lead complex product and process optimization projects, from opportunity identification and technical design through installation, startup, commissioning, training, and performance stabilization.
· Apply food science, confectionery manufacturing knowledge, process engineering, and structured problem solving to recipe, ingredient, equipment, and process improvements.
· Plan and execute proof-of-principle tests, bench and pilot work, scale-up, manufacturing trials, sensory testing, and product-sample generation.
· Develop specifications, formulations, project scope, schedules, cost estimates, process-flow diagrams, and piping and instrumentation diagrams.
· Evaluate technical and financial feasibility, interpret results, manage risks and resources, and recommend whether projects should proceed, change, or stop.
· Coordinate supplier evaluation, installation, validation, documentation, training, and transition to plant operating teams so improvements are sustained.
· Lead focused-improvement and root-cause problem-solving efforts using Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and practical engineering judgment.
· Collaborate with R&D, Engineering, Finance, Quality and Regulatory Compliance, Manufacturing, and Marketing, while mentoring technicians and professionals assigned to projects.

Minimum Requirements

Education:

Bachelor's or master's degree in Food, Chemical, Mechanical, or Biological Engineering, or another relevant technical field.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in food science, engineering, or a related field. Confectionery and manufacturing plant experience are strongly preferred.
· Demonstrated experience in process engineering, process design, project management, troubleshooting, optimization, manufacturing validation, and implementation.
· Knowledge of food-manufacturing systems, unit operations, sanitary design, process piping, valves, automation, instrumentation, quality assurance, and Good Manufacturing Practices.
· Six Sigma Green Belt required;
Six Sigma Black Belt…