Associate Manager Hershey's Kitchens

Location: Technology Center - Hershey, PA

 

 

Summary:

Reporting to the Sr Manager, Chocolate Product Development and working at The Hershey Company’s Technical Center, the Associate Manager, Hershey’s Kitchens position provides project leadership on recipe creation and manages the Hershey’s Kitchens personnel and operations. The position would support the strategy of initiatives while also executing on all workstreams. Medium to high autonomy across all initiatives is required. A successful candidate consistently demonstrates and applies technical knowledge and expertise. This candidate can develop and share technical expertise within functional area and cross functionally within the organization. This candidate has proven problem solving skills and is a critical thinker, resulting in problem resolution and process improvements. This candidate has the capability to influence stakeholders and leverage networks to provide solutions.

 

The Associate Manager, Hershey’s Kitchens will also support product development initiatives, providing project leadership of some medium complexity initiatives, assisting on higher complexity initiatives, leading workstreams within larger initiatives, and/or leadership of multiple low complexity initiatives. Complexity of a workstream can be increased through technical complexity, manufacturing complexity, speed to market, quantity of projects, and cross-functional support.

 

This role will partner with Product Development, Marketing / Media, Global licensing, Manufacturing/Engineering, Quality and Regulatory, Project Management, Procurement, and Direct Reports.

 

 

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

Develop and Execute Hershey’s Kitchens Operations:

• Develop new recipe ideas for Hershey core products and innovation

• Support validation efforts for continuous improvement initiatives.

• Assist in the development of and be responsible for managing our Hershey’s Kitchens department.

• Provide input for technical feasibility for new recipe concepts.

• Stay updated on baking trends and best practices to create relevant recipes.

• Partner with the Media team on developing new recipes for social media channels – ex: Tik Tok, Instagram

• Apply technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.

• Determine strategic direction for the department, and work closely with business partners

• Assure timelines are met, and provide ongoing progress reports to senior management.

• Understand the business impact of the projects.

• Management responsibility for 1-2 Research Technicians/Assistants with the responsibilities of setting organizational priorities, project milestones, people development and organizational engagement

 

Execute product development initiatives:

• Lead product development projects that provide innovative new products in Chocolate Product Development. These areas include formulation development, ingredient development and product transformation interactions.

• Perform prototyping and 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.

• Apply technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.

• Provide input for technical feasibility for new product concepts.

 

Talent & Organizational Development:

• Provide overall leadership as it relates to organization structure and People Development

• Develops, leads, manages, and mentors the Kitchen’s Research Assistant and/or others in a way to ensure retention, development, and high performance of talent

 

 

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: 

• BS in Food Science, Chemical, or Food, Engineering or equivalent scientific discipline with 3-5 years application work experience, or BS degree in Culinary Science or related certificate with 3-5 years of experience

• Develops solutions to problems with an outside-in mindset; actively incorporate the voice of the consumer.

• Demonstrated Business, Leadership and Influencing Skills; Strategic as well as tactical thinker.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills capable of presentations to executive levels.

• Experience leading innovation initiatives, which could include product development, quality improvement, cost improvement, technology validation and process optimization.