Sr. Research Scientist, Ingredient Technology Development

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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.

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The Global Science and Technology Team within R&D is responsible for scouting and developing new technologies for ingredients, products, and processes from upstream research through validation at the commercial scale. The Sr. Research Scientist will lead multiple ingredient technology development projects across a variety of product portfolios. The role is located on site at Hershey's Technical Center in Hershey, PA and reports to the Manager / Sr.

Manager, Ingredient Technology Development.

The Sr. Research Scientist will be responsible for ingredient technology development for multiple existing and novel product categories and will become a subject matter expert (SME) in one or more of these areas. The individual will stay current on ingredient trends and bring new technologies into the company for testing and validation. This will require advancing and leveraging in-depth knowledge of food science, product formulation, and manufacturing.

In addition to working with R&D team members, considerable interaction is expected with Marketing, Product Development, Sensory, Manufacturing, Legal, Engineering, Quality, and other Supply Chain departments. The individual will assume a leadership role in complex projects, guiding them through Hershey Innovation processes with a cross‑functional team. This includes providing input to set priorities and strategic direction for research programs. The individual will be responsible for project design and methodology, testing ideas through experimentation, and determining next steps through problem solving.

Hands‑on skills involving running laboratory and pilot plant equipment is required. Experience in leading cross‑functional technology and/or product development projects to commercialization is desired. Presentation of the project results will be expected in both written and oral forms.

• Identify and develop new technologies to drive innovation in confectionery, snacking, novel foods, and other strategic categories.
• Design and execute bench‑ and pilot‑scale experiments, documenting results in the company's knowledge management system.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams including R&D, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Marketing to advance research and product development initiatives.
• Build…