Senior Refrigeration Systems Lead: Reliability & Optimization

US Foods; Owensboro (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive plan

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

US Foods is seeking a Senior Refrigeration Systems Engineer to design, optimize, and manage complex refrigeration and facility systems across multiple sites. You will lead lifecycle management, reliability, and upgrades, coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, and vendors.

The role requires deep ammonia and Freon refrigeration expertise, multi-site leadership, hands-on troubleshooting, and strong knowledge of OSHA, EPA, PSM, and CMMS.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance or related field or equivalent relevant work experience.
• 5 years of industrial refrigeration or cold chain engineering experience.
• Expertise in ammonia and Freon refrigeration systems, HVAC/mechanical systems, troubleshooting, and preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience managing multi-site operations and technical teams.
• Knowledge of OSHA, EPA, PSM, IIAR, energy efficiency and automation.
• Experience with CMMS systems, maintenance planning, and capital project execution.
• This role requires approximately >40% travel during the initial years.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, optimization, and lifecycle management of facility and operational systems to ensure reliability, efficiency, and business continuity.
• Provide advanced technical expertise for infrastructure, automation, controls, mechanical, electrical, and integrated operational systems.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, EHS, and external vendors to identify and execute system improvements and strategic initiatives.
• Monitor system performance, analyze trends, and develop solutions to improve uptime, reliability, capacity, and operational efficiency.
• Lead root cause analysis for system failures and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, technical documentation, operating procedures, and system specifications.
• Support capital projects, equipment installations, facility upgrades, and expansion initiatives from concept through startup.
• Evaluate emerging refrigeration technologies and energy reduction opportunities.
• Coordinate and manage external contractors, consultants, and vendors to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.

Skills

Industrial refrigeration

Ammonia systems

Troubleshooting

Preventive maintenance

Multi-site operations

OSHA/EPA/PSM knowledge

CMMS

Automation knowledge

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

CMMS

SCADA/BMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

US Foods is seeking a Senior Refrigeration Systems Engineer to design, optimize, and manage complex refrigeration and facility systems across multiple sites. You will lead lifecycle management, reliability, and upgrades, coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, and vendors.

The role requires deep ammonia and Freon refrigeration expertise, multi-site leadership, hands-on troubleshooting, and strong knowledge of OSHA, EPA, PSM, and CMMS.