Lead Data Scientist

Posted Date: May 8, 2025

Requisition Number: 124949

Job Location: Dallas, TX
This is a hybrid role located in Hershey's Frisco Office.

This role will provide relocation support.

Are you passionate about solving challenging problems and driving innovation? At The Hershey Company, we are looking for builders and innovators to create scalable optimization solutions and apply machine learning and statistical techniques to shape the future of snacking.

As a Lead Data Scientist, you will be challenged to work across teams and organizations to put theory into practice through experimentation and invention, to develop new algorithms for complex problems, to implement prototypes and to work with complex datasets. You will directly impact the Hershey products known and loved by hundreds of millions of consumers driving real-world results. Utilizing advanced analytics, you'll help forecast trends, understand customer preferences, and optimize business outcomes.

We are seeking candidates with expertise in in Operations Research, Statistics, Optimization, Operations Management, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, or related fields. You will partner with stakeholders to defining business problems and to design and implement solutions. With a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, Hershey offers an environment that is dynamic, compelling, and rewarding-where data is not just numbers but the key to delivering moments of happiness to consumers worldwide and to creating the future of snacking.

Are you passionate about solving challenging problems and driving innovation? At The Hershey Company, we are looking for builders and innovators to create scalable optimization solutions and apply machine learning and statistical techniques to shape the future of snacking.

As a Lead Data Scientist, you will be challenged to work across teams and organizations to put theory into practice through experimentation and invention, develop new algorithms for complex problems, implement prototypes, and work with complex datasets. You will directly impact Hershey products known and loved by hundreds of millions of consumers, driving real-world results. Utilizing advanced analytics, you'll help forecast trends, understand customer preferences, and optimize business outcomes.

We are seeking candidates with expertise in Operations Research, Statistics, Optimization, Operations Management, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, or related fields. You will partner with stakeholders to define business problems and design and implement solutions. With a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, Hershey offers an environment that is dynamic, compelling, and rewarding-where data is not just numbers but the key to delivering moments of happiness to consumers worldwide and creating the future of snacking.

Basic Qualifications:
• Master's degree in Operations Research, Statistics, Optimization, Operations Management, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, or other related fields
• Technical leadership experience
• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language such as Python, Java, or C++
• Basic proficiency with SQL
• Ability to design and implement solutions using both toolkits and custom-developed code
• Demonstrated ability to present business cases and scientific models with rigorous analyses that support conclusions to influence and drive important decisions
• Strong fundamentals in problem solving, algorithm design and complexity analysis
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-team coordination
• Proven experience in mentoring and growing teams of scientists
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in the relevant field
• Strong patent or publication record at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals.

Preferred Qualifications:
• PhD degree in Operations Research, Statistics, Optimization, Operations Management, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, or other related fields
• Extensive experience with Cloud Platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP, including their data processing and machine learning toolkits.
• Proficiency with Optimization Solvers such as Gurobi and Xpress, or experience integrating optimization algorithms into large-scale systems.
• Hands-on expertise with Big Data Analytics tools, including Scikit-learn, Keras, TensorFlow, Pandas, NumPy, and PySpark.
• Demonstrated ability to work within interdisciplinary teams, leveraging cutting-edge machine learning and data science methodologies.
• Experience in designing and deploying scalable and production-grade predictive and prescriptive models.
• Strong knowledge of data visualization techniques and tools to effectively communicate insights.

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