AC & Refrigeration Maintenance Engineer

James Lewis Recruitment; Pilning; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking an experienced AC & Refrigeration Maintenance Engineer to work in Bristol and Cardiff. You will maintain systems in well-known restaurant brands along the M4 corridor, with a focus on autonomy and quality service. The role promises good earning potential, a supportive work environment, and the opportunity to work with a variety of ventilation systems. The salary ranges from £45,000 to £55,000, with added overtime and bonuses.

Benefits

Company van & fuel card

Pension scheme

20 days holiday + bank holidays

Medical & dental cover after 1 year

Biannual tax-free bonus

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a similar maintenance role.
• Comfortable with filter replacement and general maintenance.
• Valid UK driving license with no more than 3 points.

Responsibilities

• Conduct planned preventative maintenance on AC and refrigeration systems.
• Respond to reactive breakdowns and complete effective repairs.
• Travel between sites, typically 1-2 visits per day.

Skills

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration expertise

Autonomous work

Ventilation and airflow understanding

Experience in maintenance

Education

City & Guilds in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Installation

Job description

AC & Refrigeration Maintenance Engineer

Bristol & Cardiff | £45,000–£55,000 + Van + Overtime + Bonus

If you like the idea of being trusted to get on with your work, looking after big-name restaurant brands across the M4 corridor, this could suit you down to the ground.

You’ll be working across sites such as Burger King, Five Guys, Bill’s, Popeyes and Wingstop, keeping their AC, refrigeration and ventilation systems running smoothly – and being the person they rely on when something needs putting right, properly.

Why you’ll like this role

• Autonomous, trusted position – jobs come through to your handheld, you plan your day and crack on without someone breathing down your neck.
• Steady, maintenance-led workload – roughly 80% PPM & remedial, 20% reactive, plus some asset tagging – not constant firefighting.
• Decent work-life balance – core hours are 07 : 00–16 : 00, with the first visit typically around 07 : 00. Most days you’re done and home by around 16 : 00, with very few visits booked past 13 : 00–14 : 00.
• Good earning potential – overtime at time-and-a-half, plus on-call payments and the option to pick up 10–50 hours overtime a month if you want it.
• Employee-owned bonus – you’ll share in a biannual Employee-Owned Trust bonus, paid tax-free twice a year.

You’ll be Bristol / Cardiff based, with most of your work in those areas and some travel along the M4 corridor when needed.

What you’ll be doing

• Carrying out planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and remedial works on AC and refrigeration systems in branded restaurant environments.
• Responding to reactive breakdowns (around 20% of your workload), diagnosing faults and completing effective, lasting repairs.
• Working with ventilation and airflow systems, including a lot of filter changes – grease filters, air filters, dust filters and similar.
• Using a handheld device for job allocation, instructions and job sheets – completing reports as you go throughout the day.
• Conducting assetting / asset-tagging where required.
• Travelling between sites across Bristol, Cardiff and occasionally along the M4 corridor – typically 1–2 site visits per day.
• Participating in a call-out rota (roughly 1 in 4), with pre-planned callouts and the option to stay away if you’ve got clustered jobs further afield on consecutive days.

Hours are 07 : 00–16 : 00 : the first hour (typically travel) is unpaid, with everything after that paid. First visits are normally from 07 : 00, so you’re usually on the road around 06 : 00.

What you’ll need

• City & Guilds in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (or equivalent).
• Solid experience in maintenance – ideally 5+ years in a similar AC / refrigeration maintenance role.
• Experience with ventilation and airflow – understanding how air moves through busy restaurant environments.
• Comfortable with filter replacement and general ventilation maintenance (grease, air and dust filters, etc.).
• Full UK driving licence with no more than 3 points.
• Ideally an NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Installation (or similar) – desirable, but not essential.
• Happy working largely autonomously, managing your own workload and paperwork via a handheld device.

What you’ll get

• Salary : £45,000–£55,000 (depending on experience)
• Overtime : Paid at time and a half
• On-call rota : Approx. 1 in 4, paid £150 per week when on call
• Average overtime : 10–50 hours per month available, if wanted
• Company van & fuel card
• Pension scheme
• Holidays : 20 days + bank holidays, rising by 1 day per year up to 25 days
• VUPA medical & dental cover after 1 year
• Employee-Owned Trust biannual bonus – tax-free, twice a year

You can realistically expect to earn between £52,000 and £84,000 OTE, depending on your basic salary, how much overtime you choose to work, participation in the call-out rota and your tax-free Employee-Owned Trust bonuses. This includes a base salary of £45,000–£55,000, overtime paid at time and a half (typically 10–50 hours per month available), £150 per week when on call (around 1 in 4 weeks), plus two tax-free EOT bonuses per year (typically £500–£1,500 each).

Interested?

If you’re an experienced AC & refrigeration maintenance engineer who likes autonomy, steady maintenance work and looking after well-known restaurant brands across Bristol, Cardiff and the M4 corridor, we’d like to hear from you.

Apply with your CV, and we’ll be in touch to talk through the details