Job Overview

About The Hershey Company

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 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?

The Production Line Lead plays a key role in driving operational excellence at our West Hershey plant. This role is responsible for leading hourly production personnel while ensuring compliance with company policies, safety standards, and regulatory requirements. You will be empowered to independently identify opportunities, eliminate root causes of manufacturing challenges, and drive improvements that impact the business today and into the future—all while contributing to a culture that makes Hershey the Sweetest Place on Earth.

Accountabilities

What will you do?

Lead and manage hourly production personnel to safely meet operational and business needs
Ensure adherence to plant policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements
Independently execute assignments and projects, escalating only the most complex issues
Propose, plan, and implement solutions to address manufacturing challenges and drive continuous improvement
Lead high-impact initiatives that influence safety, quality, cost, and productivity
Oversee financial planning considerations within the production area
Collaborate across departments to support maintenance and operational needs of the plant
Interpret production performance reports to drive decision-making
Support a flexible work schedule, including weekends and all shifts as required

Prior Experience

Minimum Requirements

Education:

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Experience:

Minimum of 3 years of experience in manufacturing or a high-speed, complex environment required
Minimum of 1 year of supervisory experience preferred
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite required
Food manufacturing experience preferred
SAP experience preferred

Skills & Capabilities:

Strong leadership and people management skills
Change management expertise with a focus on safety, quality, and cost optimization
Effective written and verbal communication skills
Knowledge of production systems and manufacturing processes
Problem-solving and decision-making capabilities
Understanding of union contracts and labor relations
Ability to work effectively across all levels of the organization
Knowledge of product quality standards and regulatory requirements
General understanding of cost accounting and engineering principles

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans.

You may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application process as a result of a disability.
You can request an accommodation via phone or email.

To request an accommodation via phone, please call +1 877-804-1794 and leave a voicemail with your contact information. You may also email a request for accommodation to [email protected]. Please be sure to include “Accommodation Needed” in the subject line. This will ensure that your email is routed to the appropriate contact who will handle your request.

Production Line Lead

Job Description