R&D Associate Manager Bilingual

Location: El Salto Jalisco. Carretera Guadalajara 05-KM 8 El Castillo 45680 El Salto Jal.
Bilingual: Advanced English (spoken written and read)

At The Hershey Company youll have the opportunity to shape the future of some of the worlds most iconic brands while working alongside passionate high-performing teams. We offer a collaborative environment where innovation leadership and continuous improvement drive real business impact giving you the chance to grow your career while making a meaningful difference.

At The Hershey Company youll have the opportunity to shape the future of some of the worlds most iconic brands while working alongside passionate high-performing teams. We offer a collaborative environment where innovation leadership and continuous improvement drive real business impact giving you the chance to grow your career while making a meaningful difference.

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) 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 Hersheys Reeses 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.

We are looking for a Research & Development Associate Manager (Junior) Sweets & Refreshments to lead innovation and product development initiatives that drive business growth and strengthen consumer preference. The ideal candidate combines hands-on product development expertise strong technical knowledge of food and confectionery technologies and proven leadership skills. This individual thrives in cross-functional environments influences key business decisions and successfully transforms ideas into commercially viable products.

• Lead end-to-end innovation and product development projects from concept through commercialization.
• Build and execute short- and mid-term innovation pipelines aligned with business goals.
• Develop and qualify new ingredients formulations and processing solutions.
• Partner with Marketing Supply Chain Quality Regulatory Engineering and Operations teams to deliver successful product launches.
• Support manufacturing operations scale-ups troubleshooting efforts and business continuity initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with Stage Gate and corporate R&D systems processes and documentation requirements.
• Identify productivity quality and cost optimization opportunities.
• Monitor market trends competitive products and consumer preferences to drive innovation.
• Manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while ensuring technical excellence and timely delivery.
• Lead coach and develop a small R&D team while fostering technical capability growth.
• Support technical negotiations and collaboration with suppliers co-manufacturers and external partners.
• Participate in strategic regional and international innovation initiatives.

• Bachelors Degree in Food Science Food Engineering Chemical Engineering or related Engineering discipline. Masters Degree preferred.
  5 years of experience in Product Development Food R&D Process Engineering or Innovation within the food confectionery consumer goods or related industries.
• Experience leading product development projects from laboratory through pilot plant and industrial implementation.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional projects.
• Previous people leadership experience preferred.
• Experience collaborating with Marketing Operations Supply Chain Quality Regulatory and Finance teams.
  Strong knowledge of confectionery technologies ingredient functionality formulation development and manufacturing processes.
• Product development expertise from benchtop through commercialization.
• Knowledge of pilot plants production startup commissioning and process troubleshooting.
• Strong project management capabilities.
• Ability to analyze market and consumer trends and translate insights into innovation opportunities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong problem-solving leadership and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel PowerPoint and Word).
• Intermediate English required; Advanced English preferred.

• Location: El Salto Jalisco Mexico
• Work Model: 100% On-site
• Schedule: Monday to Friday
• Working Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Flex Time available)

• Very competitive salary aligned with the market.
• All legal benefits.
• Above-law benefits.
• Opportunities for professional growth and career development.
• Exposure to plant operations product innovation manufacturing and cross-functional business leadership.
• Regional and international collaboration opportunities.
• The opportunity to work for a global snacking and confectionery leader with iconic brands and a strong focus on operational excellence innovation and long-term growth.
• Opportunities to grow within the company.
  
  
  

Dont forget to attach your up-to-date CV in English and your personal contact information updated.