Senior Refrigeration Engineer

About the role

WSP is seeking a Senior Refrigeration Engineer to join our Industrial and Advanced Manufacturing Division, which specializes in food and beverage, federal, and industrial facility design. In this role, you will lead the planning, analysis, design, and delivery of safe, reliable, energy-efficient industrial refrigeration systems for new facilities, renovations, additions, and existing-facility assessments. Working with multidisciplinary teams, you will serve as a technical leader and trusted client advisor, helping clients improve performance, meet code and safety requirements, and respond to evolving production and sustainability goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead refrigeration engineering from proposals, field assessments, and basis-of-design development through client reviews, construction administration, and commissioning support.
• Design cold rooms, freezer rooms, blast freezers and chillers, specialized temperature- and relative-humidity-controlled rooms, food-processing, refrigerated warehouses and distribution facilities.
• Calculate heat and mass balances, refrigeration loads, thermodynamic cycles, pipe sizes and pressure drops, insulation requirements, energy use, heat recovery, and system efficiency.
• Select equipment and prepare datasheets, technical specifications, equipment and utility schedules, tender documentation, bills of quantities, and cost estimates.
• Develop and review process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), utility flow diagrams, system schematics, equipment and line lists, valve schedules, and interface and tie-in schedules.
• Prepare coordinated construction documents using AutoCAD and/or Revit, including plantroom and equipment layouts, piping layouts and routing, support requirements, and details.
• Develop refrigeration plant control philosophies, operating narratives, process descriptions, and control requirements for translation into control and automation programs.
• Lead multidisciplinary design coordination, manage resources, and mentor junior engineers in design practices, calculations, code application, quality control, and project delivery.
• Build trusted client relationships, understand operational needs, and deliver tailored solutions while independently managing time, quality, and effort within project schedules and budgets.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• PE License
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience focused on industrial refrigeration system design, including ammonia and other refrigerant-based systems, with supporting experience in HVAC, plumbing, and utility piping.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and apply advanced engineering principles, procedures, and applicable codes.
• Ability to lead refrigeration design efforts, manage resources, and coordinate effectively with junior engineers, designers, and multidisciplinary project teams through clear communication and teamwork.
• Proficiency in design and drafting using AutoCAD and/or Revit, with a strong foundation in engineering calculations and coordinated technical documentation.
• Advanced knowledge of industrial refrigeration systems and theory, including refrigeration cycles, compressors, condensers, evaporators, vessels, recirculation and secondary coolant systems, refrigerant and utility piping, pipe materials and piping classes, valves and fittings, insulation and corrosion, heat recovery, defrost, ventilation, controls, and integration with process and building systems.
• Working knowledge of refrigerant and ammonia safety, refrigerant environmental requirements, and applicable mechanical, fire, building, and pressure-piping codes, as well as recognized industry standards and process safety practices (IIAR and PSM).