Summary Seeking an experienced
low-temperature process refrigeration professional to support immediate diagnostics, maintenance, and optimization of
glycol chillers operating at -40 °C. Several units are running well; others require service. You'll partner with an established in-house maintenance team and leverage full technical documentation to stabilize and improve performance.
What You'll Do
- Diagnose & repair non-OEM, Chinese-built glycol chiller hardware and controls.
- Reverse-engineer, re-tune, and rebuild subsystems as needed to restore and optimize duty.
- Perform on-site troubleshooting of refrigeration circuits, compressors, expansion devices, heat exchangers, pumps, sensors, VFDs, PLC/controls, and safety interlocks.
- Analyze fault logs and operating data; implement corrective actions and document changes.
- Execute preventive and predictive maintenance: leak checks, dehydration/vacuum, charging, oil management, electrical terminations, calibration, and control loop tuning.
- Collaborate daily with the internal maintenance team and coordinate with the manufacturer's remote technical staff.
- Provide handoff documentation: updated P&IDs/as-builts, parameter sets, parts lists, and maintenance SOPs.
What You'll Bring
- Proven experience with low-temperature process refrigeration (to ~-40 °C) in industrial environments.
- Comfort working on non-OEM/Chinese-built chillers and mixed-brand components.
- Strong controls aptitude (PLC/HMI, PID tuning, sensor scaling, alarms/fault logic).
- Hands-on capability across mechanical, electrical, and controls disciplines.
- Ability to reverse-engineer undocumented hardware/controls and create clean documentation.
- Safety-first mindset; familiarity with LOTO, pressure systems, and applicable codes/standards.
Nice to Have
- Experience in process industries (e.g., pharma, food & bev, extraction, chemical).
- brazing/pipefitting, instrumentation, and VFD commissioning experience.
- Refrigerant handling certification and relevant state/local licenses.
Engagement Details
- On-site in Prineville, OR for up to 8 consecutive weeks (with potential extension).
- Client will provide technical data (P&IDs, schematics, control architecture, fault logs, photos) and daily access to their on-site maintenance team.
- Tools/test gear: please indicate what you will supply vs. require on site.
With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.
