Associate Manager, Product Development, R&D US CMG BFY

Job Location: Hershey, PA
 

Summary: 
Reporting to the Senior Manager, R&D US CMG BFY and working at The Hershey Company’s Technical Center, the Associate Manager position provides both managerial and project leadership with ~60% of the individual’s time focused on managerial and organizational initiatives and ~40% focused on medium complexity product development initiatives. This position would also start to drive various strategic initiatives while also executing on all workstreams. Medium to high autonomy across all initiatives is required. A successful candidate consistently demonstrates and applies managerial skills, technical knowledge, and expertise. This candidate has proven problem solving skills and is a critical thinker, resulting in problem resolution and process improvements. The successful candidate can communicate complex or technical subject matter to different audiences at different levels within the organization. This candidate has the capability to influence stakeholders and leverage networks to provide solutions.

 

Specific Role Focus Area: 
• Lead managerial and organizational initiatives (~60% FTE) and product development projects (~40% FTE) which provide innovative new products within BFY and Protein Research and Development. These areas include formulation development, ingredient development and product transformation interactions.
• Proactively identify organizational and strategic opportunities, define scope, engage, influence, and align stakeholders, successfully implement changes, and monitor and implement continuous improvements
• Management responsibility for 2 - 4 Research Technicians/Assistants or Scientists with the responsibilities of setting organizational priorities, project milestones, people development, and organizational engagement. 
• 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 initiatives and projects.
• Apply technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.
• Provide input for technical feasibility for new product concepts.
• Partnering with Supply Chain to provide technical support to drive quality and value improvement in products and process

 

This role will interact and partner with: 
• Marketing
• Manufacturing
• Engineering
• Quality and Regulatory
• Project Management
• Technology Development
• Direct Reports

Approximately ~10% travel required, primarily within the US, but including occasional international travel.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 
Talent & Organizational Development:
• Provide overall leadership as it relates to organization structure and people development – develops, leads, manages, and mentors Research Technicians/Assistants and Research Scientists in a way to ensure retention, development, and high performance of talent.
• Identification and implementation of organizational and strategic opportunities including defining scope, engaging, influencing, and aligning stakeholders, successfully implementing change(s), and monitoring and implementing continuous improvements.
Project Leadership:
• Lead product development and commercialization projects which provide innovative new products in BFY 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.

 

Minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities:  
• Experience leading innovation initiatives, which could include product development, quality improvement, cost improvement, technology validation and process optimization.
• Demonstrated knowledge in confection and chocolate formulation and recipe development.
• Demonstrated experience in confection and chocolate process platforms (moulding, enrobing, panning).
• Strong knowledge of various technical disciplines (Sensory, Research, Engineering and Packaging)
• Knowledge of key steps in the development of capital projects, including commercialization, equipment selection, creation of TFD’s, equipment acquisition, commissioning and start-up of process equ