Refrigeration project manager and estimator job description
A refrigeration project manager and estimator prices and runs install work for supermarkets, restaurants and cold storage sites: rack systems, walk-ins, case lines and store remodels. They walk the site, do the takeoff, write the bid, pull permits, send submittals, and keep the install crew and the general contractor on one schedule.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $75,490, middle half $93,220 to $137,820, 90th percentile $171,880. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Operations Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
Monday to Friday, plus site visits · Office days on bids and submittals, store walks and job checks, and some nights or weekends around remodel cutovers
Refrigeration Install & Service - Project Manager & Estimator
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Operations Manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
The Project Manager & Estimator is a crucial role in our company, responsible for the successful execution of all our commercial refrigeration installation and service projects. This involves estimating work, conducting initial site assessments, understanding electrical requirements, local codes, and health permits. The person in this role will kick off the permitting process, coordinate install teams, and contribute to the company's growth with the potential to earn equity and upside in the business.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Conduct initial site assessments and coordinate install teams.
Estimate the scope and cost of work for various projects.
Understand and adhere to electrical requirements, local codes, and health permits.
Initiate the permitting process and ensure its successful completion.
Coordinate with various internal and external stakeholders for smooth project execution.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and analyze project specifications.
Prepare and deliver professional sales proposals to clients.
Manage relationships with clients, suppliers, and internal teams.
Handle permit applications and follow-ups.
Coordinate with installation teams to ensure project timelines are met.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project Completion Rate: 95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Gross Margin: Maintain or improve current margins.
New Sales: Increase sales by 10% quarterly.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
A [State] refrigeration or mechanical contractor license, and an electrical license where your state requires one for this work.
Qualified to act as the license holder for the company's [State] contractor license, where your state requires one.
Minimum 4 years of experience in the commercial refrigeration industry.
Proficient in project management and estimation.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in a similar role within the commercial refrigeration industry is highly preferred.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
Ability to work in varying environmental conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.
Minimal travel expectations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $120,000 - $150,000 annually.
Potential to earn equity and upside in the business.
Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401k Retirement Plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering an environment of growth and success. We are committed to supporting our team members in their professional development, and we take pride in our strong culture of teamwork and collaboration. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service to our clients, and we know that our success is driven by the hard work and dedication of our talented team.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Bidding store refrigeration means pricing equipment that federal rules may bar by the day it's charged, then building it while the store keeps selling food.
Bid to the install date
EPA limits the refrigerant in a new system by the date it's installed, and a May 2026 rule reset the store dates. Remote condensing units and cold storage warehouses have had interim limits since July 27, 2026; supermarket systems get one on January 1, 2027. All three face a much stricter limit on January 1, 2032. Price the refrigerant against the planned startup and spell out what a slip means. Supermarket and cold storage jobs whose pre-October 5, 2023 building permit names the refrigerant get a year more. Source: eCFR: 40 CFR 84.54, restricted systems and what counts as an installation.
Some remodels count as new systems
The limits cover new systems, and the rule says when work on an old one counts as new. Once charged in full, a system counts as installed if it was assembled for the first time, even from used parts. It also counts when all the compressor racks, condensers and connected evaporator loads are replaced along with three-quarters or more of the evaporators, by count. Adding cooling capacity counts too, though a supermarket system may add a limited amount first. Check the scope against the rule before bidding the old refrigerant. Source: eCFR: 40 CFR 84.54, restricted systems and what counts as an installation.
Walk-ins come with federal energy rules
Department of Energy rules cover walk-in coolers and freezers under 3,000 square feet, and whoever assembles a complete one counts as its manufacturer. Walk-ins made since 2009 need automatic closers on doors up to 3 feet 9 inches wide and 7 feet tall, strip doors or another way to keep warm air out, and wall, ceiling and door insulation of at least R-25 for coolers and R-32 for freezers. Freezer floors need at least R-28. Bid panels, doors and fan motors that meet the rules. Source: 10 CFR 431.306: Walk-in cooler and freezer standards (Cornell LII).
The health department sees the plans too
FDA's 2026 model Food Code, which states and counties adopt in their own versions, has a food business send plans to its health department for approval before it builds or converts a building. Before a remodel, it sends them when the department decides plans are needed. The plans can list equipment types, makers, model numbers, locations and capacities. The estimator's equipment schedule often feeds that packet, so lock it before it goes out. The mechanical permit, where one is required, runs on its own track. Source: FDA Food Code 2026, sections 8-201.11 and 8-201.12: Plan review.
Rebates can pay for part of the upgrade
Some electric utilities pay rebates on efficient refrigeration. Georgia Power's food service and grocery program, for one, covers swapping open multi-deck cases for glass-door cases, replacing shaded-pole evaporator fan motors with EC motors, and anti-sweat heater controls. Read the fine print. New walk-ins that come with EC motors don't qualify for the motor rebate, and new door cases can't be longer than the old ones. Check the utility's current rules before a rebate goes in a bid. Source: Georgia Power: Food service and grocery rebate sheet (2026).
How much refrigeration project managers and estimators make
The closest BLS group for refrigeration project managers and estimators is construction managers. Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $114,990 median for construction managers in all industries. About 21,680 of the 380,360 construction managers in that survey work for HVAC and plumbing contractors.
The template sets a salary and mentions equity and upside in the business. If equity is on offer, write down how it's earned and when it vests before you advertise it; if it isn't, take the line out. For a bonus, decide in writing whether it follows the margin on the bid or on the closed job, since change orders and warranty work can move the number. The template's salary range sits above the BLS median shown here, which fits a role that may carry the company's license.
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$109,150$109,150 median Middle half $93,220–$137,820 10th–90th $75,490–$171,880
All industries
$114,990$114,990 median Middle half $88,550–$151,640 10th–90th $69,690–$189,440
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$75,490
$93,220
$109,150
$137,820
$171,880
All industries
$69,690
$88,550
$114,990
$151,640
$189,440
BLS doesn’t publish pay for refrigeration contractors on their own. These figures cover plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Builds a takeoff from drawings: racks, condensing units, cases, coils, piping, controls and labor
Knows store refrigeration well enough to spot what the drawings leave out
Reads mechanical, electrical and fixture plans and catches conflicts between them
Has pulled mechanical permits and handled submittals and change orders with general contractors
Writes proposals with clear inclusions and exclusions a store owner can follow
Holds, or can qualify for, the contractor license your state requires
Teach these on the job
Your estimating software and labor units
Your proposal template and who approves a bid
Supplier lead times on racks, cases and walk-in panels
Which local utilities pay refrigeration rebates, and their rules
Your handoff from the sold job to the install crew
Expect estimating software or a well-kept spreadsheet with your own labor units, a takeoff tool for PDF drawings, and project software for submittals, RFIs and change orders. Tell applicants whether they'd sign as the company's license holder, which stores they'd bid (chains, independents or cold storage), and who runs the job once it's sold.
Refrigeration project manager and estimator interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Electrical requirements
During the site survey, you find the existing electrical service can't support the new condensing unit. What do you do?
A strong answer: Includes the electrical work or an electrician's quote in the proposal, explains it to the customer plainly, and doesn't bury it as an exclusion.
Behavioral · Estimating accuracy
Tell me about the refrigeration job, like a walk-in or a case lineup, where your estimate was furthest off.
A strong answer: Names what they missed, how they handled it with the customer and crew, and how they estimate differently now.
The template's targets for completion, star rating and quarterly sales growth came from one company. Replace them with figures from your own bids and closed jobs before you post.
Project Completion Rate
Of the install jobs closed each quarter, count those that reached startup and turnover by the contract date. Note which late ones waited on equipment, the general contractor or the store's cutover nights.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask each store owner or general contractor for a rating at closeout, and read reviews on finished jobs. Don't offer anything in return for a high score.
Gross Margin
Compare each closed job's final cost with its bid. Trace every gap to labor, equipment, missed scope or change orders that never got billed, and feed it back into the next estimate.
New Sales
Signed install and remodel contracts each quarter, against the same quarter a year earlier. A rise every single quarter compounds fast, so set the target from your backlog and bid list. Track bids sent and won too.
Does a refrigeration project manager need a contractor license?
That's a state question, and the template asks for the license where one applies. Texas is one example. Its air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license comes in Class A for any size of unit and Class B for cooling systems of 25 tons and under, and each license carries one endorsement, such as commercial refrigeration. Most applicants need three to four years of experience under a licensed contractor, depending on the route, though schooling or military training can stand in. All must pass a state exam. Ask the licensing board in each state you bid in, and the cities that issue your permits.
How much does a refrigeration project manager and estimator make?
Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,220 and $137,820 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What does an estimator need to bid a grocery store remodel?
Drawings and the fixture plan, a site walk with photos of the machine room and roof, and a list of every case, walk-in and condensing unit staying or going. Note the existing refrigerant, rack capacity and electrical service. Ask about store hours and which nights the crew can cut over, since overnight work changes labor cost.
Who handles what on a job run by a general contractor?
Settle it in a scope sheet before the bid goes in. Common gaps are power wiring to cases and condensing units, the slab work and insulation under a freezer, floor drains, roof curbs and penetrations, and who patches the roof. Each line says who does it: you, the GC, or another trade. Exclusions in the proposal should match that sheet.
How can you test an estimator before hiring?
Give candidates a small set of drawings, such as a walk-in cooler and freezer with remote condensing units, and ask for a takeoff and a list of questions for the customer. Good candidates find what's missing, such as the electrical or drain work, before they price anything. Then ask them to walk you through their labor hours.
How should the ad describe the physical side of this job?
The template's lines, "Ability to lift up to 50 lbs" and "varying environmental conditions", describe what the person can bear rather than the work. In your own ad, name the tasks instead: walking a store's machine room and roof on a site survey, climbing a roof ladder, carrying a laptop and drawings, and spending time in walk-in freezers. Add "with or without reasonable accommodation", as this bundle's other templates do.
