Refrigeration Technician

Ammonia Refrigeration Technician

Location: Montgomery, MN

Employment Type: Direct Placement, Full-Time

Pay: $28.00-$32.00/hr, with potential flexibility for highly experienced candidates

Schedule: Seasonal schedule with rotating 12-hour shifts during peak production season

Openings: 1

Union Status: Non-union

Job Overview

We are seeking a skilled Refrigeration Technician to support a high-volume food manufacturing, canning, freezing, and cold storage operation in Montgomery, MN.

This role supports industrial ammonia refrigeration systems used in production, freezer warehouse, and cold storage operations. Refrigeration reliability is critical to food safety, product quality, and plant uptime, especially during peak production season.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on industrial refrigeration experience, strong mechanical troubleshooting skills, and the ability to work safely in a high-accountability plant environment.

Schedule

Off-Pack Season, approximately October-May

Monday-Thursday, 6:00am-4:30pm

This season focuses on inspections, preventive maintenance, repairs, rebuilds, and system readiness.

Pack Season, approximately June-September

12-hour rotating shifts are required:

6:00am-6:00pm

6:00pm-6:00am

Weekend work is required as production demands. Night shift work during peak season is required.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain, repair, and troubleshoot industrial refrigeration systems supporting production, freezing, and cold storage.
• Work safely around ammonia-based refrigeration equipment and engine room systems.
• Monitor, inspect, and support compressors, pumps, valves, controls, evaporators, condensers, and related refrigeration equipment.
• Diagnose refrigeration system issues under production pressure.
• Perform preventive maintenance and document work accurately.
• Respond to refrigeration-related downtime events during peak production season.
• Support freezer warehouse and cold storage reliability.
• Follow food safety, GMP, environmental, and plant safety requirements.
• Communicate clearly with maintenance, production, and leadership teams.
• Provide limited support to other departments during peak season when needed.

Required Qualifications

• Hands-on refrigeration experience in an industrial, manufacturing, cold storage, or large-scale facility environment.
• Understanding of ammonia refrigeration systems and industrial refrigeration safety.
• Strong mechanical and troubleshooting ability.
• Ability to work independently and make sound decisions in a production environment.
• Willingness to work nights, weekends, rotating shifts, and extended hours during peak production season.
• Strong communication skills, accountability, and safety awareness.
• Ability to work in cold environments, around noise, moving equipment, and production operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ammonia Operator 1 or Ammonia Operator 2 training.
• HAZWOPER training.
• 2-year technical degree in refrigeration, HVAC, industrial maintenance, or related field.
• Food manufacturing, cold storage, frozen food, dairy, beverage, or other regulated production experience.
• Experience with GMPs, food safety, or environmental compliance.
• RETA, CARO, CIRO, EPA Universal, or related refrigeration certifications.

Work Environment

This role is based in an industrial food manufacturing and cold storage environment. The technician should expect cold areas, production noise, moving equipment, refrigeration systems, and required PPE, including hearing and eye protection.

Why This Role

This is a high-trust, high-responsibility role where refrigeration reliability directly impacts plant performance. The off-season offers a more predictable schedule, while peak production season provides significant overtime opportunity. Candidates who perform well in this environment can build long-term stability in a hands-on, team-oriented plant culture.

Benefits

Benefits are available to eligible full-time employees and may include:

• Medical plan options
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• HSA and FSA options
• 401(k)
• Paid holidays
• PTO
• Life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability options
• Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity options
• Employee assistance program
• Legal, identity protection, and additional voluntary benefit options

Full plan details, eligibility, rates, and effective dates should be confirmed during the hiring process.

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