Sr. Counsel, Patents

Why Hershey

At The Hershey Company, our culture is rooted in purpose and inspired by Milton Hershey’s enduring vision that business should create opportunity for others. Through our commitment to corporate philanthropy, we create positive impact by supporting communities, helping children thrive, and operating as a business for good. This includes our deep and long-standing partnership with Milton Hershey School, where we invest in education, workforce readiness, and hands-on engagement to help students succeed beyond the classroom. Supported by strategic grantmaking, product donations, cross-brand collaboration, and strong employee volunteerism, Hershey offers a place to work where making a difference—locally and globally—is part of how we do business every day.

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.

About the Role

The Senior Counsel, Patents serves as a strategic legal advisor to The Hershey Company and plays a critical role in protecting, strengthening, and leveraging our global patent portfolio. This position partners closely with R&D, innovation, digital, and business teams to protect innovations across food products, packaging, manufacturing processes, and emerging technologies, including AI-enabled solutions. The role helps drive business growth through proactive intellectual property strategy, risk management, and stakeholder education.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, protection, prosecution, and maintenance of patentable inventions across products, packaging, manufacturing processes, and emerging technologies.
• Conduct patent landscape analyses, freedom-to-operate reviews, and competitive intelligence assessments to support innovation and mitigate risk.
• Draft, review, and negotiate patent-related agreements, including technology transfer, joint development, research collaboration, and IP licensing arrangements.
• Manage patent disputes, oppositions, and litigation activities in partnership with external counsel.
• Develop and deliver patent and intellectual property training for employees, driving compliance with global patent laws and company policies.
• Oversee a global patent portfolio, including budget management and outside counsel/vendor relationships.
• Provide strategic legal guidance that influences enterprise-wide innovation, intellectual property, and risk management decisions.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) with USPTO bar registration.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive patent law experience, including patent prosecution, enforcement, and portfolio management.
• Experience within a corporate legal department and/or law firm environment.
• Experience supporting consumer packaged goods (CPG), food, manufacturing, or related industries preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in global patent laws, patent portfolio strategy, and intellectual property risk management.
• Knowledge of food regulatory and compliance requirements preferred.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) required.
• Admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania or ability to obtain a limited corporate counsel license in Pennsylvania.
• USPTO bar registration required.

Benefits

• 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.