Team Lead Quality Assurance

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?

You’ll help protect the products and brands people love by leading Food Safety and Quality Assurance support for our Plymouth, Indiana pretzels operation, a high-speed, complex environment producing favorites such as Dots Pretzels and Reese Filled Pretzels. As a Team Lead FSQA, you’ll serve as a key connection point between QA and Manufacturing, helping ensure product safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across your assigned area.

This is a great opportunity for a hands-on quality leader who enjoys solving problems, coaching others, using data to improve systems, and partnering across Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and regulatory teams to keep Hershey moving with confidence.

What will you do?

• Lead QA Technicians on the designated shift, helping manage standard work, support daily execution, and reinforce food quality and safety expectations.
• Support production activities by providing QA guidance, troubleshooting, training, audits, and incident management to meet company and regulatory requirements.
• Plan and execute sampling, analytical, microbiological, environmental monitoring, and retained sample programs; document results and escalate out-of-tolerance findings.
• Coordinate QA verification activities such as sampling plans, specification checks, sensory programs, sanitation verification, hygiene audits, allergen control validation, and HACCP/PEP system checks.
• Investigate quality and food safety incidents, analyze data and trends, identify root causes, and partner cross-functionally on corrective and preventive actions.
• Use systems such as RedZone, SAP, LIMS, QIMS, Line Production Reporting, and CONC reporting to isolate issues, monitor trends, and support continuous improvement.
• Prepare reports and dashboards that highlight quality, food safety, laboratory, and operational risks; share insights and recommended actions with leaders and partners.

Minimum Requirements

Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience in Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Manufacturing Quality, or a related technical/manufacturing environment. Experience leading or influencing teams, troubleshooting quality issues, conducting audits, and supporting compliance programs is required.

Education: Bachelor’s or Associate degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent related experience.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Working knowledge of food industry regulations, GMP, HACCP, PEP, sanitation, pest control, and GFSI standards.
• Strong attention to detail, documentation discipline, auditing/assessment capability, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, influence without direct reporting authority, and support a fast-paced production environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and quality/production systems such as SAP and RedZone.
• Ability to work flexible hours and perform hands-on plant/lab activities, including sampling, testing, stair/platform access, and occasional lifting of test equipment or product cases.

Preferred: SQF Practitioner, HACCP Certification, PCQI, Lean/Six Sigma experience, working knowledge of SPC, and experience with ERP implementation or integration of quality processes.

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.

• Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus wellness programs that support your physical and mental health
• Financial Security: Competitive pay, annual incentive opportunities, and a 401(k) with company match
• Time Off & Flexibility: Paid time off, company holidays, and flexible ways of working where applicable
• Growth & Development: Career development programs, learning opportunities, and internal mobility

Benefits may vary based on role, location, and eligibility.

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 ApplicationHelp@hersheys.com. 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.