Staff Engineer Packaging
The Hershey Company · Hershey, PA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $114k–$143k
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Food & beverage
- Posted
- 4 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at The Hershey Company (food & beverage) in Hershey, PA. You will help bring The Hershey Company’s packaging sustainability priorities to life.
- They ask for
- 5+ years · degree preferred
- Tools it names
- DOE, SAP
- Base pay
- $114k–$143k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Pennsylvania: typical posted base $79k–$120k. This one lists $114k–$143k.
Median of the low and high ends of 24 live postings that list pay, out of 60 manufacturing engineer openings in Pennsylvania, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Pennsylvania plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 59 other live manufacturing postings in Pennsylvania.
- Base pay
- About 31% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Typical $79k–$118k, from 23 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 57%
- Tooling 50%
- Root cause 38%
- Six Sigma 32%
- Automation 32%
- ✓ New product launch 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for DOE, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at The Hershey Company
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: The Hershey Company in Hershey
9 other open roles at this site.
- Industrial Maintenance Mechanic - Reese Plant · Reliability · Technician
- Senior Process Engineer · Process · Senior
- Sr Engineer Controls - 3rd Shift · Controls · Senior
- Production Supervisor · Production · Supervisor
- Engineer Packaging · Manufacturing
- Staff Engineer Process · Process · Senior
Full description from The Hershey CompanyAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
into practical technical workplans, test methods, risk assessments, and implementation steps.
- ✓Collaborate with Procurement, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Legal, Commercial, Marketing, Finance, Sustainability, and equipment partners to deliver solutions that are technically sound, cost effective, scalable, and compliant.
- ✓Use packaging data, lifecycle thinking, supplier inputs, and sustainability analytics to develop clear technical recommendations and identify material reduction and performance opportunities.
- ✓Support packaging regulatory readiness, including Extended Producer Responsibility, recyclability claims, labeling implications, recycled content requirements, and packaging data needs.
- ✓Document specifications, testing outcomes, technical decisions, assumptions, risks, and implementation requirements; share learnings and provide technical guidance to project partners and less experienced engineers.
- ✓Monitor emerging packaging technologies, material science developments, recycling infrastructure, customer expectations, and regulatory trends and apply relevant insights to assigned projects.
Requirements
Experience: 5+ years of relevant experience in packaging development, packaging engineering, material science, sustainability, or a related technical field.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering preferred; Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Environmental Engineering, or a related technical field is acceptable.
Preferred Qualifications
- ✓Advanced knowledge of packaging materials, converting technologies, equipment interaction, manufacturability, quality requirements, and specification management across flexible, rigid, paper-based, corrugate, film, resin, polymer, fiber-based, or emerging material systems.
- ✓Experience executing packaging trials, supplier evaluations, technical qualifications, specification updates, commercialization support, and sustainable packaging implementation.
- ✓Knowledge of sustainable packaging principles and regulatory-driven packaging change, including EPR, recyclability claims, recycled content, labeling, packaging data, or carbon reduction.
- ✓Strong analytical, project management, communication, and cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
- ✓Working knowledge of SAP, PLM/PDM, specification systems, packaging data dashboards, Microsoft Office, project management tools, or sustainability reporting inputs.
Benefits and Perks
At Hershey, we offer competitive pay and a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and life outside of work.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Why Hershey
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. Supported by strategic grantmaking, product donations, cross brand collaboration, and strong employee volunteerism, Hershey offers a place to work where making a difference—locally and globally—is part of how we do business every day.
Location: Hershey, PA (Onsite)
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands. With a strong portfolio across chocolate, confectionery, and salty snacks, Hershey delights consumers every day. Our beloved brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, KitKat®, Dots Pretzels, Lesser Evil, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, and more.
At Hershey, we are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities where we live, work, and do business. This commitment originated with our founder, Milton Hershey, and continues to shape who we are today.
Guided by our employee value proposition, Lead Today. Create Tomorrow, we empower our people to drive impact now while shaping what comes next. Our One Hershey mindset brings teams together across functions, geographies, and businesses, enabling us to operate with speed, collaboration, and shared purpose.
The Hershey Company is proud to be recognized as a top employer in the United States, reflecting our commitment to our people, culture, and purpose.
How will you fit in the big picture?
As a Packaging Sustainability Engineer, you will help bring The Hershey Company’s packaging sustainability priorities to life. You will apply packaging engineering expertise to evaluate and qualify new materials, lead testing and trials, and support scalable solutions that protect product quality, consumer experience, manufacturability, cost, and regulatory compliance. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate across the business and with external partners to advance practical, high-impact packaging improvements.
What will you do?
- •Execute sustainable packaging projects focused on recyclability, recycled content, material efficiency, circularity, and greenhouse gas reduction while maintaining product protection, quality, and manufacturing reliability.
- •Evaluate new packaging materials and technologies through supplier reviews, feasibility assessments, laboratory testing, design of experiments, transport simulations, line trials, technical qualification, specification updates, and post-launch follow-up.
- •Partner with suppliers, converters, material developers, recyclers, and technology providers to identify and advance sustainable material solutions for potential commercialization.
- •Translate established sustainability priorities, customer and consumer needs, and regulatory