1. Position Details
| ParticularDetails |
| Designation | Senior Refrigeration Technician |
| Department | Engineering / Plant Maintenance |
| Reporting To | Maintenance Supervisor / Assistant Manager / Maintenance Manager |
| Location | Bakery Manufacturing Plant |
| Experience | 5–8 Years Relevant Experience |
| Employment Type | Full Time |
| Shift | Rotational Shift |
2. Job Purpose
To ensure the safe, reliable and efficient operation of all refrigeration systems supporting bakery production, raw-material storage and finished-goods storage.
The Senior Refrigeration Technician will be responsible for preventive maintenance, breakdown troubleshooting, temperature control, refrigeration performance, compressor maintenance, refrigerant management and minimizing refrigeration-related downtime.
3. Key Responsibilities
A. Refrigeration System Maintenance
Carry out operation, preventive maintenance and breakdown maintenance of:
- Cold Rooms
- Blast Freezers
- Deep Freezers
- Chillers
- Refrigerated Storage Areas
- Refrigeration Compressors
- Condensers
- Evaporators
- Expansion Valves
- Solenoid Valves
- Receiver Tanks
- Filter Driers
- Accumulators
- Refrigerant Piping
- Temperature Controllers
- Pressure Controls
- Defrost Systems
- Refrigeration Control Panels
Ensure all refrigeration equipment operates within the recommended operating parameters.
4. Compressor Maintenance
Hands-on experience in maintenance and troubleshooting of:
- Reciprocating Compressors
- Scroll Compressors
- Screw Compressors
- Semi-Hermetic Compressors
- Hermetic Compressors
Responsibilities include:
- Monitor suction and discharge pressure.
- Check compressor oil level and condition.
- Check compressor running current.
- Monitor discharge temperature.
- Check abnormal noise and vibration.
- Check compressor loading/unloading.
- Troubleshoot high-pressure and low-pressure trips.
- Check overload and safety cut-outs.
- Identify compressor performance deterioration.
- Coordinate compressor replacement/overhauling with OEM when required.
5. Cold Room Maintenance
- Ensure required cold-room temperature is maintained.
- Monitor temperature continuously and record readings.
- Inspect evaporator coils and condenser condition.
- Clean evaporator and condenser coils.
- Check evaporator fans and motors.
- Check cold-room door gaskets and hinges.
- Inspect door heaters and safety release mechanisms.
- Check drain lines and drain heaters.
- Ensure proper defrost operation.
- Check insulation and identify possible heat ingress.
- Troubleshoot abnormal temperature rise.
- Investigate repeated temperature deviations.
6. Blast Freezer Maintenance
- Maintain blast freezer refrigeration systems.
- Monitor freezing temperature and pull-down time.
- Check compressor, condenser and evaporator performance.
- Monitor suction/discharge pressure.
- Check refrigerant level and leakage.
- Check evaporator fan operation.
- Inspect defrost system.
- Check door sealing and insulation.
- Identify reasons for slow freezing or inadequate cooling.
- Maintain equipment performance records.
7. Chiller Maintenance
- Operate and maintain refrigeration/chiller systems.
- Monitor chilled-water supply and return temperatures.
- Check compressor loading.
- Monitor refrigerant pressure.
- Check condenser and evaporator performance.
- Check chilled-water pumps.
- Inspect valves, strainers and piping.
- Check water flow and differential pressure.
- Maintain daily chiller log sheets.
- Coordinate with OEM for major breakdowns and annual servicing.
8. Refrigerant Management
- Carry out refrigerant charging and recovery as per approved procedures.
- Conduct refrigerant leak testing.
- Use appropriate leak-detection equipment.
- Carry out system evacuation/vacuuming before charging.
- Maintain proper refrigerant charge.
- Maintain records of refrigerant charging and recovery.
- Ensure refrigerant cylinders are stored safely.
- Minimize refrigerant leakage and unnecessary refrigerant consumption.
- Follow applicable environmental and safety requirements.
9. Preventive Maintenance
Execute daily, weekly, monthly and annual PM activities.
Typical PM activities:
- Compressor inspection
- Oil level inspection
- Suction/discharge pressure checking
- Condenser cleaning
- Evaporator cleaning
- Fan motor inspection
- Belt inspection
- Refrigerant leakage inspection
- Electrical terminal tightening
- Pressure switch inspection
- Temperature sensor checking
- Expansion valve inspection
- Defrost system inspection
- Drain line cleaning
- Insulation inspection
- Door gasket inspection
- Vibration/noise inspection
- Refrigeration panel inspection
Ensure PM compliance ≥95%.
10. Breakdown Maintenance
- Attend refrigeration breakdown calls immediately.
- Diagnose faults systematically.
- Minimize refrigeration downtime.
- Troubleshoot:
- High-pressure trip
- Low-pressure trip
- Compressor overload
- Compressor failure
- Refrigerant leakage
- Low cooling capacity
- Evaporator icing
- Condenser choking
- Fan failure
- Expansion valve malfunction
- Solenoid valve failure
- Sensor failure
- Defrost failure
- Temperature controller failure
- Restore equipment safely and quickly.
- Conduct RCA for major/repeated breakdowns.
- Escalate critical failures to the Maintenance Manager/OEM.
11. Temperature Monitoring
Monitor and maintain temperature of:
- Raw Material Cold Rooms
- Finished Goods Cold Rooms
- Dairy / Cream Storage
- Frozen Product Storage
- Blast Freezers
- Refrigerated Production Areas
- Chilled Water Systems
- Maintain temperature logs.
- Immediately report abnormal temperature deviations.
- Coordinate with QA and Production during critical temperature deviations.
- Support temperature mapping and validation activities where required.
12. Electrical & Controls Troubleshooting
Should have working knowledge of:
- Contactors
- Relays
- MCB/MCCB
- Overload Relays
- VFDs
- Temperature Controllers
- Thermostats
- Pressure Switches
- Solenoid Valves
- Sensors
- Timers
- Control Panels
- PLC/BMS interface
Use multimeter and clamp meter for basic electrical troubleshooting.
13. Energy Efficiency
- Monitor refrigeration energy consumption.
- Identify abnormal power consumption.
- Optimize compressor operation.
- Avoid unnecessary compressor running.
- Maintain clean condensers and evaporators.
- Ensure correct refrigerant charge.
- Monitor suction/discharge pressure.
- Ensure proper insulation.
- Identify heat ingress in cold rooms.
- Support plant energy-saving initiatives.
14. Spare Parts Management
Identify and maintain critical refrigeration spares such as:
- Compressor
- Compressor Oil
- Expansion Valve
- Solenoid Valve
- Filter Drier
- Pressure Switch
- Temperature Sensor
- Thermostat
- Fan Motor
- Evaporator Fan
- Condenser Fan
- Contactors
- Overload Relays
- Refrigerant
- Copper Fittings
- Insulation Material
- Belts and Bearings
Inform the supervisor regarding critical spare requirements before stock-out.
15. Safety Responsibilities
- Follow all plant safety procedures.
- Follow LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) before maintenance.
- Use appropriate PPE.
- Follow safe refrigerant-handling procedures.
- Ensure pressure is safely released before opening refrigeration circuits.
- Follow electrical safety procedures.
- Follow safe working-at-height practices.
- Never bypass safety devices without authorization.
- Ensure proper housekeeping around refrigeration equipment.
- Report unsafe conditions immediately.
16. Vendor & OEM Coordination
- Coordinate with refrigeration OEMs and AMC vendors.
- Supervise vendor maintenance activities.
- Verify technical work completed by vendors.
- Check service reports.
- Support compressor replacement and major refrigeration repairs.
- Coordinate annual preventive maintenance.
- Assist in commissioning of new refrigeration equipment.
17. Production & QA Coordination
- Coordinate with Production for planned refrigeration maintenance.
- Minimize impact on production and storage operations.
- Inform Production about expected downtime.
- Coordinate with QA during temperature deviations.
- Support food-safety and quality audits.
- Ensure proper temperature records are maintained.
- Immediately escalate any condition that may affect stored food products.
18. Documentation & Reporting
Maintain:
- Daily refrigeration log
- Cold-room temperature records
- Blast-freezer temperature records
- Chiller log sheets
- PM checklists
- Breakdown reports
- Equipment history
- Compressor running-hour records
- Refrigerant charging records
- Refrigerant leakage records
- Spare consumption records
- Vendor service reports
- RCA reports
Ensure shift handover includes all pending refrigeration issues.
19. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
| KPITarget / Focus |
| Refrigeration PM Compliance | ≥95% |
| Cold Room Availability | ≥98% |
| Blast Freezer Availability | ≥98% |
| Chiller Availability | ≥98% |
| Temperature Compliance | ≥99% |
| Breakdown Response Time | Minimum possible |
| MTTR | Continuous reduction |
| MTBF | Continuous improvement |
| Repeat Breakdown | Continuous reduction |
| Refrigerant Leakage | Minimum |
| Energy Consumption | Continuous reduction |
| Safety Compliance | 100% |
| Documentation Compliance | 100% |
20. Technical Skills Required
- Strong hands-on knowledge of industrial refrigeration.
- Good understanding of refrigeration cycles.
- Strong compressor troubleshooting skills.
- Knowledge of refrigerant charging/recovery.
- Knowledge of vacuuming and leak testing.
- Ability to troubleshoot high/low pressure issues.
- Knowledge of condenser and evaporator systems.
- Knowledge of expansion valves and solenoid valves.
- Knowledge of defrost systems.
- Knowledge of cold-room systems.
- Knowledge of blast freezers.
- Knowledge of chillers.
- Basic electrical troubleshooting skills.
- Ability to read refrigeration and electrical drawings.
- Knowledge of HVAC controls/BMS will be an advantage.
21. Educational Qualification
Minimum Qualification:
- ITI – Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (RAC)
OR
- Diploma in Refrigeration & Air Conditioning / Mechanical Engineering.
ITI Electrical/Mechanical candidates with strong refrigeration experience may also be considered.
22. Experience
- 5–8 years of relevant experience in industrial refrigeration.
- Experience in bakery, food manufacturing, FMCG, QSR, central kitchen, cold-chain or food-processing plants preferred.
- Hands-on experience with cold rooms, blast freezers, chillers and industrial compressors is required.
- Experience handling refrigeration breakdowns independently is preferred.
23. Behavioural Competencies
- Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills.
- Good communication and coordination.
- Strong ownership and accountability.
- Ability to work under production pressure.
- Safety-conscious approach.
- Team player with ability to work independently.
- Good documentation skills.
- Willingness to work in rotational shifts.
- Ability to respond to emergency breakdowns.
24. Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate should be a hands-on Senior Refrigeration Technician capable of independently maintaining and troubleshooting industrial refrigeration systems, cold rooms, blast freezers, chillers, compressors, condensers, evaporators and refrigeration controls.
The candidate should have a strong focus on temperature control, equipment reliability, minimum downtime, energy efficiency, food-safety requirements and safe refrigeration practices.