Refrigeration Engineer

Woolworths Group; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary Sacrifice

Team discounts across Woolworths Group

Sonder support program

Flexible leave policy

Job summary

Woolworths Group is seeking an experienced Refrigeration Engineer to drive the integrity, performance and green transition of our national refrigeration network. You will balance cost, safety and innovation while leading adoption of natural refrigerants and digitised control systems.

The role requires strong knowledge of retail refrigeration, exposure to refrigeration plant design, and the ability to influence field teams and senior leaders. Sponsorship available for international candidates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in engineering from a recognised program (Washington Accord/EUR-ACE).
• Experience in refrigeration plant design.
• Understanding of Australian & international design standards.
• Strong project management and technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Provide refrigeration systems expertise and support engineering strategy development.
• Collaborate with Showcase and HVAC Engineers to deliver efficient refrigeration solutions.
• Support Field Engineers with specification interpretation and site solutions.
• Lead Refrigeration Guild and upskill cross-functional teams on technical strategy.
• Maintain refrigeration specs, briefs and services drawings aligned with standards.
• Drive safety, sustainability and energy reduction across plant lifecycles.
• Lead adoption of green refrigeration technologies and pilot digitised controls.

Skills

Retail refrigeration systems

Project management

CAD

Energy efficiency

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering (Washington Accord / EUR-ACE)

Tools

CAD

Job description

Hybrid role - work from home, office and on site

Welcome to Woolworths 360

We’re the national team of 10,000 bright minds designing, developing and innovating the retail stores of the future across construction, operations, sustainability, data, refrigeration, and everything in between. United by a passion for bringing fresh food and great experiences to our customers every day, our ‘Best in, Better out’ mentality guides our decisions and puts customers at the heart of all we do. Every day we’re reimagining and reinventing our stores, innovating new fulfillment processes, and developing simpler, smarter and more sustainable solutions to future proof our network and fight for a healthier planet.

Refrigeration assets are a core part of Woolworths Group infrastructure. Around a third of the Group's turnover comes from a fridge or freezer. Group refrigeration assets have a replacement value of over $1.5B, over $180M annual energy spend is directly related to these assets, over $100M is spent on new and renewal initiatives and $90M are spent each year on maintenance.

What you’ll do

Reporting to the National Sustainable Engineering Manager, the Refrigeration Engineeris the subject matter expert driving the integrity, performance, and green transition of our national refrigeration network. Balancing cost, safety, and innovation, you will lead the shift to natural refrigerants and deploy cutting‑edge digitised systems.

• Provide refrigeration systems expertise and support engineering strategy development for the Woolworths 360 team.
• Collaborate with Showcase and HVAC Engineers to deliver efficient, sustainable and cost‑effective refrigeration solutions.
• Support Field Engineers with specification interpretation, site solutions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead industry and internal engagement by chairing the Refrigeration Guild, partnering with wider engineering streams, and delivering masterclasses to upskill cross‑functional teams on technical strategy.
• Maintain refrigeration specifications, briefs and services drawings aligned with business and industry standards requirements.
• Drive safety, sustainability and energy reduction initiatives across refrigeration plant lifecycles.
• Drive the adoption of emerging green refrigeration technologies (including WaterLoop, transcritical CO2, and hydrocarbons) by establishing design briefs, piloting digitised control systems, and upskilling installation teams.

What you’ll bring

• Strong knowledge of retail refrigeration systems, including plant and showcase design, installation, and maintenance.
• A solid understanding of global greenhouse gas issues, with a proven ability to design energy and emissions minimisation strategies.
• Familiarity with the fast-paced nature of FMCG retail operations and the critical role of refrigeration asset maintenance.
• Project management skills, including financial evaluation, technical documentation, and implementation.
• The ability to influence field teams,equipmentmanufacturers, and senior leaders to drive clear decision‑making.
• A self‑motivated work ethic with the capability to work autonomously, backed by high-level CAD, spreadsheet, and communication skills.
• A bachelor's or master's degree in engineering from a programme accredited by a recognised national engineering accreditation body, including Washington Accord‑accredited programmes or equivalent European accredited programmes (such as EUR‑ACE®).
• Previous experience in an engineering role with exposure to refrigeration plant design.
• Awareness and understanding of applicable Australian and International Design Standards and codes of practice.

We welcome applications from international candidates looking to bring your expertise to Australia (Sponsorship available)

What you’ll experience

• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline – with valuable exposure to a vast and exciting business network.
• Access to Sonder. Sonder provides free confidential 24/7 personalised financial, medical safety, psychological or physical support for team members and their families.
• A progressive and competitive leave policy that gives you more space for what matters to you.
• Team discounts across our range of Woolworths Group brands you know and love and a robust rewards program that celebrates and incentivises purpose‑driven work.
• Opportunity to Salary Sacrifice, enabling team members to purchase selected eligible items or services from pre‑tax salary. Can be used for novated leases, superannuation contributions, Qantas Club membership, computing devices etc.

We are Woolworths Group

We are Woolworths Group. 200,000+ bright minds, passionate hearts, and unique perspectives across Australia and New Zealand. Connected by a shared Purpose - 'to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow'. That Purpose fuels our ambition to explore new ideas, make brave commitments, and innovate better ways to meet the food and everyday needs of more than 24 million customers every week.

If you're excited to turn today's blue-sky thinking into a better tomorrow for future generations, you'll find yourself supported and enriched in a dynamic, inclusive, and empowering workplace. With a culture of genuine care, a flexible approach to work, and opportunities across the group to grow your career and make a meaningful impact, the possibilities for what we can achieve together are endless.

Everyone belongs at Woolworths Group

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are key to realising our purpose of better together for a better tomorrow. We recognise the value our team’s diversity brings to our business, customers, and communities and that teams with diverse experiences and backgrounds enrich our group and are better able to innovate and solve problems. As one of the largest employers in Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels that they belong, can be their best selves, and reach their full potential.

See how we’re creating better experiences together, for a better tomorrow

Discover more opportunities with Woolworths Group