Sr Engineer Cocoa Science

Location: Hershey, PA ; Technology Center Summary: Reporting to the Manager, Cocoa Science and working at The Hershey Company’s Technical Center, the Senior Research Engineer - Cocoa Science position provides an exciting opportunity to join the rapidly growing Cocoa Science team within the Ingredient Technology Development team in R&D. The successful candidate in this role will lead projects to enable more sustainable cocoa farming practices and support key technical initiatives to enable cocoa quality and yield improvement. The role will include multiple medium complexity projects and/or beginning to lead a program with support. This project leader will be adept at demonstrating and applying technical knowledge and expertise to the Hershey Cocoa Science program. They will have the ability to develop and share technical expertise within the Cocoa Science team, cross functionally within the organization, and externally with key research partners. They will demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, the ability to think critically and apply engineering fundamentals. The successful candidate will be proficient at communicating complex or technical subject matter written and verbally to different audiences at different levels within the organization and externally. In addition, this candidate will be skilled at influencing and leveraging networks to provide technical solutions related to Cocoa Science. The successful candidate must be skilled in demonstrating the “Own it” and “Take Action” behaviors when leading these key business initiatives. Approximately 30% travel required, within the US and international travel. Major Duties/Responsibilities: o + Actively identify and develop new technologies and innovation opportunities to drive our Cocoa Science initiatives to success. Lead cocoa science projects that deliver sustainable cocoa farming practices to improve crop yields and bean quality. Provide input into the technical feasibility of innovative agronomic approaches. Partner with the Hershey Sustainability, Procurement and Continuous Improvement teams to provide technical support that drives quality and yield improvement and, as a result, improves farmer livelihood. Interact closely with a cross functional group of technical, professional, and managerial staff of R&D, as well as external partners. Manage relationships internally and externally with business partners to deliver required research results. Understand the business impact of the projects. Apply technical rigor and scientific principles and practices. Perform bench top and pilot plant tests to create sensory samples (bean to bar) for analysis. Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities: Ability to travel to cocoa growing origins and partner locations Ability to lead agricultural and food engineering research projects Demonstrated experience leading a cross-functional technology project to implementation Sound technical knowledge; capable of applying knowledge to research project Excellent communication, written and critical thinking skills Strong project management and organizational skills Understanding of the impact of the key parameters in the conversion of raw ingredient and in-process material to finished material or product Demonstrated success in leading multiple and simultaneous projects. Possess good computer skills (basic knowledge of Word, Access, Excel, Exchange) Ability to work in a team environment and independently in a flexible work environment with changing priorities Strong mathematical skills Ability to present project updates to internal and external stakeholders Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: BS degree in Agricultural, Biological, Food, Chemical and/or Mechanical Engineering, with 4-6 years’ experience, MS with 2-4 years’ experience, or PhD with 0-2 years’ experience. Prior research project work will be considered; Experience executing international projects is preferred. Bilingual in Spanish or French is a plus #LI-MH1 #LI-Onsite The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans If you require a reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact the HR Service Center (askhr@hersheys.com).