Engineer your future with Star Refrigeration
Advance your engineering career at the UK's leading industrial refrigeration company
Star Refrigeration are a market leader in sustainable industrial refrigeration & heating technology, having introduced numerous industry-first innovations. Since 1970, the company has expanded into a diversified group of businesses offering maintenance, consultancy, mechanical & electrical, freezing and chilling and data monitoring services across a wide range of industries.
Star’s award-winning team of engineers are widely recognised throughout the industry for their expertise and consulted by the world’s most reputable industry organisations, including UNEP’s Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Committee, the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), The International Standards Organisation (ISO), and The British Standards Institute amongst others.
Star Technician (ST) Development Pathway
Star Technician (ST) Development Pathway
Depending on your previous experience and knowledge, you will join Star’s Technician Development Pathway at one of 5 levels. This route is designed to facilitate a flexible and dynamic career progression pathway to lead you from your current skill set level, whether foundational or advanced, towards senior engineer levels with associated pay rises. Progress through the grades is determined by your performance and achievements.
Based at one of Star’s nine regional branches, you will have the opportunity to work on site with some of the UK’s largest temperature controlled customers, serving a diverse range of sectors.
ST1
The entry-level to our engineering pathway will further develop your knowledge of refrigeration systems, engineering principles, and essential safety practices.
Developing hands-on skills, you will gain an in-depth understanding of routine maintenance tasks, service routines and Star products, producing clear and concise documentation.
ST4
Senior engineers at this level are involved in complex system management, commissioning and planning.
You will lead larger projects and teams, requiring strong leadership and advanced technical skills, including complete diagnostic ability on a variety of systems, supervising major overhauls and training personnel. You will also contribute to policy development and strategic decisions.
ST3
Advanced level engineers deepen their expertise in specialised refrigeration systems. You will also develop leadership skills, managing smaller projects and teams.
This stage involves significant technical training and practical application of knowledge, from reading electrical circuit drawings and fault-finding in control systems, to supervising annual inspections and resolving complex site issues.
ST2
At this intermediate stage, you will expand your technical knowledge, including advanced safety protocols and more complex industrial refrigeration and heating system operations.
You will start to handle more challenging tasks, learn about system diagnostics and rectification, and be competent to install and commission branch contracts, with on-site supervision.
ST5
At the lead commissioning level, engineers have significant opportunities to contribute to the company’s technical strategy. You will be involved in innovation, leading commissioning teams, and high-level decision-making.
The role is a true mixture of both top technical and managerial expertise.
Star Technical (ST) Development Pathway
Depending on your previous experience and knowledge, you will join Star’s Technical Development Structure at one of 5 levels. This structure is designed to facilitate a flexible and dynamic career progression pathway to lead you from your current skill set level, whether foundational or advanced, towards senior engineer levels with associated pay rises. Progress through the grades is determined by your performance and achievements.
Based at one of Star’s nine regional branches, you will have the opportunity to work on site at some of the UK’s largest temperature controlled customers, serving a diverse range of sectors.
ST1
The entry level you to our engineering pathway will further develop your foundational knowledge in refrigeration systems, basic engineering principles, and essential safety practices.
Developing hands-on skills you will gain in-depth understanding of routine maintenance tasks, service routines and Star products, producing clear and concise documentation.
ST2
At this intermediate stage, you will expand your technical knowledge, including advanced safety protocols and more complex industrial refrigeration and heating system operations.
You will start to handle more challenging tasks, learn about system diagnostics and rectification, and be competent to install and commission branch contracts, with on-site supervision.
ST3
Advanced level engineers deepen their expertise in specialised refrigeration systems. You will also develop leadership skills, managing smaller projects and teams.
This stage involves significant technical training and practical application of knowledge, from reading electrical circuit drawings and fault-finding in control systems, to supervising annual inspections and resolving complex site issues.
ST4
Senior engineers at this level are involved in complex system management, commissioning and planning.
You will lead larger projects and teams, requiring strong leadership and advanced technical skills, including complete diagnostic ability on a variety of systems, supervising major overhauls and training personnel. You will also contribute to policy development and strategic decisions.
ST5
At the lead commissioning level, engineers have significant opportunities to contribute to the company’s technical strategy. You will be involved in innovation, leading commissioning teams, and high-level decision-making.
The role is a true mixture of both top technical and managerial expertise.
Industry leading salary
Our engineers have the highest qualifications and training opportunities in the industry: the more you learn and progress, the higher the base salary. Along with competitive base salaries, our engineers benefit from potential earning enhancements through structured weekend work and on-call opportunities, with the potential for additional earnings in excess of 20% of their annual salary.
15 years is the average period of employment for Star staff as we aim to retain the best in the business
51% of our engineers have moved up a grade in the past 12 months
25% of our current management team progressed through the Engineering pathway
Our engineers progress into a range of roles including management, consultancy, sales, design, commissioning and training.
Why work for Star Refrigeration?
Opportunities for development
Our commitment to quality and sustainability means that Star engineers are enabled to work autonomously to deliver the best possible service to customers.
Engineers at Star are empowered to take charge of their professional growth through comprehensive support, expertise, and resources. They are supported by experienced colleagues from various departments, including design, manufacturing, project management, and data analysis and have access to the SLS e-learning platform which provides educational content specifically designed to meet our staff developmental needs.
Positive work life balance
We aim to ensure that our engineers are provided with the jobs that are closest to their home, cutting corporate mileage and our carbon footprint, as well as reducing stress and commute times.
Visiting on average one site per day, our engineers spend the whole day on site to carry out a thorough evaluation of the system, ensuring that our customers get the most out of their knowledge.
The Star ethos is not only to fix, but to prevent future problems. This holistic approach which places quality above quantity, thoroughness above time constraints and sustainability above all else, makes for a stimulating place to work with a positive work-life balance.
Award winning team
Even though we operate from nine different locations across the UK, we work as one team, coming together for events, training, networking and socialising.
Our team currently numbers 130 engineers, who work in an environment which has been accredited as Investors in People Platinum and Investors in Young People Gold. The Star business strategy also includes a commitment to having a positive impact across all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on SDG8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.
At Star you will find unlimited potential and the best conditions possible to grow, learn and prosper.
A week in the life of a Star Engineer
Monday
First day of a new week, and I’m off to a confectionery factory to perform routine maintenance on an ammonia heat pump installation. The heat pump has four screw compressors and provides hot water for the factory process, replacing the old coal/gas-fired boilers.
Tuesday
Today’s visit took me to North Lincolnshire, where I responded to an alarm at a seafood processing plant. The alarm was related to a Star-designed and installed CO2 package feeding a spiral freezer for food processing.
Wednesday
I visited a large arena in Yorkshire to inspect the Star-manufactured ammonia chiller feed glycol for an ice skating rink to ensure its effective operation ahead of a major ice skating event.
Thursday
Star maintains multiple large temperature-controlled distribution centres for major supermarket chains. Today’s visit was to a large central plant using a combination of Ammonia and CO2 to keep vast storage areas at both chiller and frozen temperatures. These facilities store food before it is distributed to the customer’s supermarkets across the region.
Friday
Attended my local branch office with all the other engineers for our monthly safety meeting. It’s a great opportunity to meet with the team, raise any issues and help each other. This was followed by ammonia training and ‘working at height’ safety training from an external trainer who visited our branch office.
Hear from our team
What’s it like to work at Star?
Listen to testimonials from current engineers. We hope these interviews help to tell it as it is – the challenges and rewards, day-to-day structure, career progression and culture at Star. As told by engineers who come to us from all different backgrounds and stages of their career.
Our stories
Richard Gahan
Current role:
ST3C Refrigeration Engineer
Angelo Guido
Current role:
ST3A Refrigeration Engineer
Chris Bremner
Current role:
Service Supervisor
Read more about our employees and their individual journeys.
Star Refrigeration Facts & Contribution to Sustainability
Sustainability is a key focus for the industry in the coming years, as carbon footprints need to be reduced further to reduce the impact of climate change. This makes it a viable and interesting career path for people interested in saving the planet through innovation.
You will work in an industry which has the potential to make the world a better place and underpins many of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Wellbeing, Affordable and Clean Energy and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Find out more about Star company values, culture and ethos
We are in business to secure a better future by using the best people, systems and technology to deliver quality temperature solutions.
Our core company values
Roll over each panel to reveal the descriptions
Safe & Legal
We maintain a culture of competence and integrity through our continued commitment to safe and legal practices.
Better For Customer
We work in a partnership with customers, always looking for innovative solutions to improve their business operations.
Develop Young People
We offer young people the opportunity to learn and develop, equipping us to thrive in an environment of fast paced change.
Sensible Margin Focus
We ensure a sustainable future for the benefit of all stakeholders over the long term.
No Surprises
We recognise that open, clear, effective communication is the key to our success.
Application process
We would like to hear about you and why this is the right path for you, please send your CV and covering letter to:
recruitment@star-ref.co.uk
Once you’ve submitted your CV and covering email, we’ll review and ensure you meet the essential criteria for your chosen role. We’ll usually be in touch within two weeks of your initial application.
If successful you will be invited to attend either a face-to-face or video interview, which will involve some formal assessment of your skills and competencies. We will discuss your CV and work history, skills and qualifications, the role and company values.
We will be in touch, usually within a week of your final interview, to let you know if you have been successful. We’ll make a verbal offer subject to some pre-employment checks then we can agree a start date and send you a formal offer.