The Hershey Company · 2 months ago
Packaging Engineer
Hershey, PA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad, Entry, Mid Level
0+ years expThe Hershey Company is a leading confectionery manufacturer, and they are seeking a Packaging Engineer to lead the design and technical development of packaging solutions for new and existing products. This role involves collaborating with project teams and vendors to develop packaging materials, create specifications, and optimize packaging designs to ensure product integrity and performance.
ConfectioneryFood and BeverageManufacturingService IndustrySnack Food
Responsibilities
Collaborate with project initiator to define, understand, and align to project objectives and expectations
Design, review, recommend, and test various packaging design proposals
Consider various packaging material substrates and structures in the design of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging to minimize material usage and optimize manufacturing and labor efficiencies, while maintaining product integrity and enhancing retail performance and aesthetics
Determine impact of new packaging design on existing and new automation systems at manufacturing locations
Develop design-of-experiments/test methodologies on packaging materials and structures to determine performance attributes best suited to maintain product quality, integrity, and maximize shelf-life while minimizing costs
Conduct analytical testing on materials and structures; evaluate and interpret technical data findings and clearly communicate results to stakeholders
Coordinate and support equipment trials, line trials, distribution tests, etc. to validate new packaging materials and structural designs
Recommend best design, align with stakeholders, and execute optimized packaging design solution
Contribute to project success through clear written and verbal correspondence and presentations understandable by stakeholders of varying technical & business understanding
Ensure projects remain on schedule by setting achievable expectations, proactively driving tasks for on-time completion, proactively highlighting potential risks to task completion, timely responses to communications, and actively participating in project team meetings
Simultaneously manage multiple projects and prioritize work accordingly to meet established and aligned to timelines and deliverables for each
Assess and resolve identified packaging design problems and opportunities (ie. consumer, retail, distribution, manufacturing performance) on existing items. Work with cross-functional stakeholders to implement design, quality, process, and system improvements as a result of findings to ensure long-term corrective action
Create and publish robust and accurate specifications which detail critical attributes to ensure consistent material quality and packaging assembly to meet aligned performance requirements. This includes mechanical drawings, written specifications, and process instructions
Provide necessary packaging component mechanical drawings for artwork development and layout. Approve graphical artwork for correct application to mechanical drawing and critical-to-function attributes (ie. UPC, date code, eyetrack)
Create, enter and publish accurate packaging bill of materials into the Material Data Management System to enable planning and sourcing of materials, and correct build of the Finished Good Item
Publish specifications and bill of materials to meet established timelines and priorities to enable production planning and material order requirements
Support creation and review of packaging quality standards and tolerances, and regulator documents
Work with Procurement to obtain cost estimates for new packaging materials by providing necessary specifications and information. Assist in presenting cost estimates for input into business case impact analytics
Ensure packaging related risks and key decisions are proactively, timely, visibly, clearly, and thoroughly documented in project team minutes, gate review documentation, on-line project folder/archives, project presentations, and emails
Ensure technical reports documenting test results, data, and analytics are appropriately archived in shared data sites/folders, project folder/archives, etc. for easy identification and retrieval
Identify and initiate packaging research aimed at decreasing costs, reducing material usage, and improving recyclability while maintaining product & packaging integrity
Partner with Procurement on implementation of cost reduction strategies/initiatives
Conduct value analysis activities to identify and implement packaging material and structural changes to improve production and labor efficiencies
Review internal and external customer data to understand causation of packaging failure or sub-optimal performance, and develop/implement corrective actions accordingly
Identify and drive opportunities to standardize materials to reduce complexity and enable volume leveraged pricing for packaging components
Develop and maintain a professional knowledge of new and emerging trends in packaging technology
Identify areas of opportunity to implement new technologies into packaging solutions
Identify individual Global Behavior and ‘Ways of Working’ gaps, develop action plan to close gaps, and actively work to close gaps and strengthen skillsets/behaviors
Qualification
Required
Possess basic understanding of packaging concepts and principles
Fundamental technical knowledge of packaging materials and converting technologies
Possess mechanical aptitude and ability to understand interrelation of material & equipment
Ability to design transport simulation tests and interpret results
Good critical thinking skills to consider how constraints/changes impact design and functional attributes
Demonstrated successful problem solving process skills
Ability to make rational decisions independently and seek assistance as needed for complex matters
Ability to successfully communicate complex subject matter both verbally and in written form to audiences of varying organizational levels and technical/business understanding with some manager guidance
Basic understanding of supply chain operations and cross-functional partner responsibilities
Able to work collaboratively with others to accomplish a common objective
Self-motivated and takes initiative/action with minimal direction
Ability to successfully and consistently prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously
Good organizational, time management, and communication skills to meet commitments
Strong PC skills; Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Cape/Tops, MS Teams, SAP(nice to have)
BS in Packaging Engineering preferred with 0-3 years of Packaging Development experience
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related science field with 1-4 years of experience in Packaging Development
Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading snacks company with a purpose to make more moments of goodness through its iconic brands.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
The Hershey Company has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (10)
2024 (6)
2023 (7)
2022 (6)
2021 (4)
2020 (11)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$4.62B2025-10-21Post Ipo Debt· $1.88B
2025-02-19Post Ipo Debt· $2B
2023-05-01Post Ipo Debt· $750M
Leadership Team
Kirk Tanner
Chief Executive Officer
Michele Buck
President & CEO
Recent News
2026-01-07
2026-01-07
Company data provided by crunchbase