Technical Writer – Manufacturing / Pilot Plant

Job Title: Technical Writer – Manufacturing / Pilot Plant
Location: Hershey, PA 17033 – 100% Onsite

Interview Process: Initial phone screening followed by preferred in-person, onsite interview

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Technical Writer to develop comprehensive training documentation and work instructions for Pilot Plant equipment. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, R&D pilot plants, or other regulated manufacturing environments, along with strong technical writing and training-content development skills.

The Technical Writer will collaborate closely with R&D, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) teams to create accurate, easy-to-follow documentation that supports safe equipment operation and operator competency.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop training materials, process procedures, work instructions, step-up cards, one-point lessons, and related technical documentation.
• Create operator-focused training content for Pilot Plant equipment and manufacturing processes.
• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, and Safety SMEs to gather and validate technical information.
• Observe equipment and operational procedures on the production floor to document process flow and verify accuracy.
• Capture photographs and videos of equipment during operation, breakdown, reassembly, setup, and other relevant activities.
• Support development of learning content within LMS platforms and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Assist with the creation and review of Job Safety Analysis (JSA) documentation as required.
• Standardize documentation structure, instructional formats, and operator competency requirements.
• Conduct periodic follow-up evaluations to assess operator skill retention and identify re-training needs.
• Simplify complex technical information and ensure content focuses on what operators need to know.
• Identify procedural gaps and work with SMEs to address documentation and training requirements.
• Prioritize documentation projects to meet established training-development milestones.
• Support additional Tech Center training and operational initiatives as assigned.

Typical Day

• Participate in daily project/status huddles with leadership.
• Review and respond to emails and project communications.
• Develop and update technical documentation in an office environment.
• Research and validate manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Shadow SMEs and operators on the production floor.
• Document equipment operation, process flow, setup, cleaning, troubleshooting, breakdown, and reassembly activities.
• Capture photographs and videos to support operator training and learning materials.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ consecutive years of food manufacturing experience, preferably within the same facility.
• Demonstrated experience creating training content and technical documentation.
• Strong technical writing and procedure-development skills.
• Experience documenting manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Strong understanding of equipment operation and manufacturing workflows.
• Mechanical aptitude and awareness of equipment troubleshooting.
• Ability to work effectively with SMEs and cross-functional teams.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to simplify complex technical information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Industry Experience

Candidates with experience in the following environments are highly preferred:

• Food manufacturing
• Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
• R&D / Pilot Plant
• Regulated manufacturing
• Production operations
• Equipment training
• Manufacturing quality and safety
• Sanitation and process documentation

Technical / Software Skills

Required:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred:

• Snagit
• Adobe Creative Cloud / Adobe content creation tools
• Microsoft Copilot
• LMS platforms
• iPad operation

Top 3 Technical Skills

1. Technical writing and procedure development
2. Manufacturing equipment and process documentation
3. Mechanical aptitude and equipment troubleshooting awareness

Candidate Profile

Ideal candidates may currently or previously have worked with organizations such as:

• The Hershey Company
• Mondelēz International
• Mars
• Frito-Lay / PepsiCo
• Bell & Evans