Refrigeration Engineer Manager

Posted 1 day ago

  • Exeter, Devon
  • England
  • Permanent, Full-Time
  • FM / Property
  • 57,000 - 67,000 per Annum
  • Bonus + Standby

We’re working with a leading facilities management and commercial refrigeration contractor to appoint a Refrigeration Engineer Manager to lead a team of engineers across a multi-site retail and industrial contract portfolio.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining technical oversight, team management, and client-facing responsibility. You’ll ensure optimal performance, compliance, and reliability of refrigeration systems while developing your team and driving continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead, mentor, and manage a team of refrigeration engineers and senior technicians across multiple sites

  • Oversee planned preventative maintenance (PPM), reactive breakdowns, and project works on commercial and industrial refrigeration systems (including CO₂, transcritical, and parallel compression systems where applicable)

  • Ensure compliance with F-Gas, H&S, PSM, and client-specific standards and audit requirements.

  • Manage workload planning, call-out rotas, and on-call cover to meet SLAs and KPIs.

  • Drive first-time fix rates, reduce repeat calls, and improve system uptime through root cause analysis and engineering solutions.

  • Liaise with clients, site managers, and internal stakeholders to agree priorities, scopes of work, and improvements.

  • Own technical documentation: P&IDs, maintenance records, risk assessments, method statements, and compliance logs.

  • Support tendering, scope definitions, and resource planning for new and existing contracts.

  • Contribute to recruitment, training, and competency development within the engineering team.

About You

  • Proven background as a Senior Refrigeration Engineer or Refrigeration Manager within FM, retail, or industrial environments

  • Strong technical knowledge of commercial refrigeration systems, including rack systems, condensers, evaporators, controls, and refrigerants (including CO₂ and A2L where relevant)

  • Experience leading and developing engineering teams, with a clear focus on safety, quality, and performance.simplyhired+1Confident client communicator, able to manage relationships at site and regional level.

  • Organised and data-driven, comfortable using CMMS/FM platforms to track works, compliance, and KPIs.

  • Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across a regional patch.