Research Engineer

Title: Research Engineer

Work Location: Hershey, PA

Duration: 6 Months

Job Type: Temporary Assignment

Work Type: Onsite

Pay Rate: $ 28.00-35.00/ Hr

Overview

TekWissen is a global workforce management provider headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan that offers strategic talent solutions to our clients world-wide.

Job Description

• The Research Engineer Contractor, Salty R&D Process Development, supports hands-on process development, experimentation, scale-up, and technical problem-solving across salty and baked snack platforms, including popcorn, extruded snacks, pretzels, fried snacks, and baked cracker/snack systems.
• The role is intended to support many of the same platform and process-development activities as the Senior Engineer, Salty R&D scope, but at a Research Engineer level: assisting on higher-complexity projects, leading defined workstreams within larger programs, and independently driving low-complexity assignments with manager guidance.
• This contractor will work closely with Product Development, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement, and external partners to execute pilot-plant and plant trials, collect and analyze process data, document results, and translate learnings into practical recommendations for commercialization, process optimization, and capability growth.

Specific Role Focus Areas

• Assist in development, optimization, and validation of salty snack processes across pilot and manufacturing environments.
• Execute experimental plans, collect process data, analyze results, and summarize technical conclusions using appropriate analytical and statistical tools.
• Operate and support laboratory, pilot-plant, and factory equipment, including setup, preparation, troubleshooting, trial execution, and cleanup coordination.
• Support process scale-up and commercialization by helping define operating windows, process guides, critical parameters, and technical risks.
• Apply structured problem-solving to issues such as moisture control, texture variability, oil management, seasoning adhesion, expansion consistency, heat distribution, and airflow performance.
• Prepare concise written reports, trial summaries, SOPs/process guides, and presentations to communicate recommendations to project teams and management.

Major Duties / Responsibilities

Summary of major duties

Process Development & Optimization Across Multiple Platforms

• Assist in developing, optimizing, and validating processes for popcorn, extruded snacks, pretzels, fried snacks, and baked snack systems.
• Support work on oil popping/air popping, seasoning application, moisture management, dough systems, thermal profiles, cutting/forming, frying, baking, drying, airflow, and hydration systems.
• Execute experiments to improve throughput, yield, texture, color, moisture distribution, seasoning coverage, and product consistency.
• Help translate pilot and plant learnings into practical operating windows and process recommendations.

Pilot Trials, Scale-Up, Commercialization & Factory Support

• Support pilot-scale and plant-scale trials for new products, process changes, equipment modifications, and technology introductions.
• Assist Operations and Engineering during startup, commissioning support, process validation, and troubleshooting activities.
• Collect and organize trial data, observations, sample requirements, and follow-up actions during plant or pilot work.
• Support manufacturing teams by contributing to process guides, startup documentation, and critical control parameter definition.

Experimentation, Data Analysis & Technical Documentation

• Design or assist with experiments using DOE, structured trials, capability assessments, or other analytical methods appropriate to the project scope.
• Analyze process data such as temperature, pressure, moisture, airflow, oil quality metrics, throughput, and product attributes to identify trends and opportunities.
• Prepare technical summaries, reports, SOPs, trial documentation, scale-up recommendations, and presentation materials.
• Document technical risks, assumptions, conclusions, and recommended next steps in a clear and disciplined manner.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Project Support

• Partner with Product Development to align formulation needs with process design and manufacturing capability.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, suppliers, and external partners to support process-learning objectives.
• Communicate project updates, technical issues, and recommendations to cross-functional team members and management.
• Provide hands-on direction to technicians or trial support resources when assigned.

Capability Building & Continuous Improvement

• Support longer-term platform capability work in areas such as extrusion, frying, baking, popcorn processing, pretzels, airflow systems, seasoning application, and oil management.
• Identify practical productivity, quality, simplification, energy, or process-control improvement opportunities.
• Stay current on emerging snack-processing equipment, pilot capabilities, and relevant supplier technologies.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Foundational technical knowledge in food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, process engineering, or related discipline.
• Comfortable operating or supporting laboratory, pilot-plant, and/or factory equipment in food-processing environments.
• Basic working knowledge of GMPs, food safety, sanitary design, analytical techniques, research methodology, and experimentation.
• Understanding of one or more snack-processing technologies, with ability to quickly learn others: popcorn processing, extrusion, frying, baking, pretzels, seasoning application, oil systems, moisture control, thermal processing, airflow, or dough systems.
• Ability to apply structured problem-solving and data-driven root-cause analysis to technical questions.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and basic data-analysis tools; DOE/statistical analysis experience preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to summarize findings clearly for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-changing R&D and manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on mechanical aptitude and willingness to work in plant, pilot, and lab environments with heat, oil, noise, and industrial equipment.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Education and Experience:

• BS in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related technical field with 0-2 years of related experience.
• Relevant internships, co-ops, research projects, or food-processing experience may be considered.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience working in or around food processing, salty snacks, confectionery, pilot plants, manufacturing environments, data analysis, DOE/statistics, or hands-on equipment troubleshooting is preferred.

Other Requirements

• Ability to work in plant, pilot-plant, and lab environments.
• Travel 20-50% depending on project, supplier, and plant-support needs.
• Must be capable of lifting approximately 40 lbs during pilot-scale and equipment work.
• Must be comfortable around heat, oil systems, noise, and industrial equipment.
• Contractor term, work schedule, onboarding requirements, vendor administration, and site-access details to be defined by the hiring manager and contracting partner.

TekWissen® Group is an equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity