Senior Process Development, Engineer Salty R&D

Job Location: Hershey, PA

 

Summary: 

The Senior Process Development Engineer supports end‑to‑end process development, scale‑up, and commercialization across multiple salty and baked snack platforms including popcorn, extruded snacks, pretzels, fried snacks, and baked cracker/snack systems. This role provides advanced engineering expertise in thermal processing, extrusion, frying, baking, drying, seasoning application, oil systems, airflow control, and overall process performance.

 

The Senior Engineer works closely with Product Development, Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Manufacturing to develop robust processes that deliver consistent product quality, improve efficiency, enable innovation, and expand capabilities across plants. The role drives technical problem‑solving, designs process validation experiments, leads commissioning activities, and supports long‑term technology roadmaps for equipment and process capability.

 

The ideal candidate is a strong technical engineer with deep understanding of food processing, excellent hands‑on execution skills, and a passion for scaling new snack technologies from pilot to full production.

 

This role reports to Manager, Process Development and is based at Hershey Technical Center in Hershey, PA

 

Summary of major duties:
Process Development & Optimization Across Multiple Platforms
• Develop, optimize, and validate processes for multiple snack platforms including: 
• Popcorn: oil popping, air popping, seasoning application, moisture management
• Extruded Snacks: expanded/pressed expansion, dough systems, thermal profiles, cutting/forming
• Pretzels: dough mixing, sheeting, proofing, caustic dip, baking, drying
• Fried Snacks: slicing/extrusion, blanching (if applicable), frying, oil turnover, filtration, de oiling
• Baked Snacks: lamination, sheeting, bake profile, moisture distribution, textural development
• Design and conduct experiments to optimize throughput, yield, energy use, texture, color, and product consistency. 
• Develop robust engineering standards for key operations such as oil management, airflow, heat distribution, and hydration systems.
Scale Up, Commercialization & Factory Support 
• Lead pilot-scale and full-scale trials for new processes, equipment modifications, and technology introductions. 
• Partner with Operations and Engineering on equipment commissioning, FAT/SAT, and process validation. 
• Troubleshoot complex manufacturing challenges (e.g., texture variability, oil degradation, seasoning adhesion, expansion inconsistency, heat distribution issues). 
• Establish detailed process guides, operating windows, and critical control parameters for manufacturing teams. 
• Support multiple sites and travel as required for technical troubleshooting and startup support.
Process Validation, Data Analysis & Technical Documentation
• Develop process validation plans, including DOE, statistical analysis, and capability assessments. 
• Analyze process data (temperature, pressure, moisture, airflow, oil quality metrics) to identify trends and opportunities. 
• Document technical findings, process learnings, scale up recommendations, and engineering SOPs. 
• Ensure all processes meet regulatory, quality, and food safety requirements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Project Leadership
• Serve as the engineering lead on cross-functional innovation teams.
• Partner with R&D Product Developers to ensure alignment between formulation and process design.
• Partner with Procurement and suppliers on new ingredient impacts, equipment innovations, or new technology exploration.
• Present technical risks, feasibility assessments, and recommendations to leadership.
Technical Capability Growth & Continuous Improvement 
• Contribute to long-term platform capability roadmaps in areas such as frying technology, extrusion capability, airflow/baking systems, and seasoning application. 
• Identify and implement productivity improvements, energy reduction opportunities, and process simplification strategies. 
• Stay current on emerging snack processing technologies and equipment advancements.

 

Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities:  
Technical Expertise
Deep understanding of one or more snack processing technologies AND ability to quickly learn others: 
• Heat transfer, mass transfer, moisture control, oil degradation, and airflow management
• Extrusion (single & twin-screw), expansion dynamics, dough rheology
• Frying systems (batch/continuous), oil turnover, filtration,