Refrigeration Operations Manager - 6 Months Secondment

Tesco UK • Manchester / Leeds / Liverpool • Temporary • Apply by 09-Feb-2026

As a Refrigeration Operations Manager, you will provide exceptional service and store standards across approximately 1200 stores within the North region including NI and IOM, driving delivery and store standards and improvement. Providing support to the North Maintenance teams ensuring a safe, legal and functioning estate for customers, colleagues and stakeholders.

This is a hands-on role that requires a proactive mindset, strong problem-solving skills, and a commitment to delivering high standards. In return, you'll be supported with ongoing training, opportunities to grow your career, and the chance to be part of one of the UK's most recognised and respected retail brands.

The Hiring Manager for this role is Stephen Simants.

What is in it for you

We're all about the little helps. That's why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you - both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 10% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years' service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

You will be responsible for

• Provide technical input for planned maintenance developments & regularly review content and effectiveness.
• Input into planned maintenance implementation across the technical teams. Provide expertise relating to parts holding, obsolete parts and temporary solutions.
• Driving problem solving, including identifying key and common issues, and developing effective solutions cross functionally.
• Provide exceptional service and standards, demonstrating clear year on year reductions in our cost lines.
• Provide a Regional view of Refrigeration compliance and legal issues to senior stakeholders with defined actions for resolutions and improvement.
• Investigate KPI trends and develop plans to deliver year on year improvements. Building effective relationships and communicating clearly with stakeholders, managing expectations where required.
• Leading and implementation of technical improvements and projects across the category Delivering great standards across the estate and ensuring compliance to all internal policies and applicable legislation.
• Assist Capital teams with developing and delivering an annual improvement plan.
• Ensure that the execution and close out of planned maintenance and reactive tasks is to a high professional standard.
• Support internal and external refrigeration teams with availability and summer plans Supporting Regional Technical Manager with seasonal delivery (Fit For Winter - Fit For Summer Plans) & regular Listening sessions.

You will need

• Considerable and demonstrable Leadership, Technical and Maintenance Engineering experience
• Experience in a similar scale remote / site maintenance engineering business
• Effective multi-directional influencing skills
• Senior stakeholder management
• Qualified in Engineering discipline / time served
• Advanced technical knowledge and understanding of Refrigeration Engineering,
• Control and Remote Monitoring Systems
• In depth knowledge of Gas Compliance Legislation
• Engineering Innovation
• Knowledge of asset life cycle management and maintenance methodologies
• Hold professional registration Refrigeration operation, maintenance, and compliance

About us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we're all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone's welcome. That's why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.