Future Opportunities Product Development Intern R&D (Summer 2026)

Product Development Intern R&D (Summer 2026)

Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States

Location: Hershey, PA

Duration: May 2026 - August 2026

R&D Product Development Intern

Overview Residing at the Hershey Company's Technical Center, this position involves a unique opportunity to work within the Research & Development team. This team is responsible for evaluating new technologies and ingredients for improving current processes and products and providing new product opportunities through (1) researching new discoveries, (2) taking product concept to prototype, and (3) scaling up through to commercialization. The Product Development Intern will work independently, and as a part of cross functional teams to achieve goals on project assignments. The successful candidate should be able to interact with many different types of individuals including various scientists, product developers, marketing, sensory, consumer research and management. This successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in either Chocolate, Sweets and Refreshments, Better For You/Protein, or Salty Product Development. This role will require individuals to demonstrate leadership, solve technical problems, create new prototypes, screen or test flavors and colors, design recipes or processes, data analysis and present results.

Potential Duties/Responsibilities:

Project responsibilities include carrying out experimental designs, creating prototypes, performing experiments, and reporting results. Daily work responsibilities will include creating trial protocol with the use of DOE principle, use of benchtop development, prototype evaluation, analyzing experimental data, executing experiments on pilot scale equipment, and preparing trial reports including next steps.

* Provide support to research projects or portions of larger projects which provide innovative new products and/or product/process improvements in R&D.

* Perform prototyping and development from benchtop to pilot plant to full manufacturing scale.

* Test ideas through experimentation, applying technical rigor and scientific principles and practices.

* Determine next steps through problem solving while understanding the business impact.

* Assist team in accomplishing project tasks.

* Interact closely with a cross-functional group of technical, professional, and managerial staff of R&D, as well as production, engineering, sensory, science and technology, analytical and marketing.

* Provide input for technical feasibility for new product concepts.

* Partner with Supply Chain to provide technical support to drive quality and value improvement in products and processes.

Qualifications:

Education

* Majors: Food Science, Engineering (Food Processing, Chemical, Ag & Biological, etc.), Chemistry, Biology

* Must be pursuing an undergraduate Bachelor's degree (preferably junior or senior)

* Minimum GPA: 3.0

Experience

* Prior internships with related experience are highly valued

Minimum Knowledge/ skills/ abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities:

* Strong interest in hands-on work and applying technical rigor and scientific principles and practices

* Highly motivated

* Comfortable with laboratory and pilot plant equipment

* Proficient in written and communication skills

* Computer literate (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

* Demonstrated problem solving and evaluation capabilities

* Excellent troubleshooting skills

* Able to work independently, and as part of a team environment

* Must be open and comfortable with change.

Things the prospective candidate should know:

* The prospective candidate will be responsible for identifying a reliable source of transportation during the duration of the internship, preferably a car.

* Allergy Statements:

* The prospective candidate should be aware that they may need to handle allergens including dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, eggs and other food ingredient chemicals and allergens while wearing appropriate PPE during their internship.

* The manufacturing facility where this internship is located handles the following allergens on a regular basis (dairy, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, egg, sesame).