Refrigeration Operating Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $91,062.19 - $115,426.48 Annually
Location : Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service (Exec)
Job Number: 2026JM26972
Department: DES - Executive Services
Division: FMD - Facilities Mgmt
Opening Date: 04/17/2026
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: T2P : JCC L302-Dis286-Operating Engr
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours/Week: 40 hours/week
Summary
King County's Facilities Management Division (FMD) seeks an experienced Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Engineer to join our crew. The HVAC Engineer performs skilled day-to-day operation, inspections, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of facility heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and related building systems and controls. This role works in the Building Operations Section of FMD and reports to the HVAC Engineer Foreman. We are eager to find someone who exhibits the technical skills as well as a strong sense of team-oriented camaraderie. Successful HVAC engineers on our team enjoy building effective relationships with their customers and co-workers.
***Grade Three Steam Engineer License, Refrigeration Operating Engineer's License, and Universal EPA Technician Certification are required for this position, Please attach the license to the application or you will not be considered. ***
WHO ARE WE?
Through a workforce of over 300 dedicated employees, the FMD operates and manages the County's capital assets by developing and maintaining cost-conscious, sustainable, high-quality facilities, and environments. The Building Operations Section of FMD maintains approximately 3 million square feet in facilities where King County provides regional services, including the King County Courthouse and District Courts, Maleng Regional Justice Center, King County Administration Building, King County Animal Shelter, and several Public Health facilities. Our facilities range in age from 8 to 100 years, with equipment such as boilers, chillers, DDC controls, ventilation fans, pumps and compressors, and fire/life/safety systems.
Job Duties
Applying principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.
As an HVAC Engineer, you will:

• Monitor, maintain, and repair direct digital controls (DDC).
• Monitor and repair heating and air-conditioning equipment using computerized console controls.
• Make adjustments necessary to compensate for temperature change or equipment failure.
• Inspect and adjust water levels, steam pressures, lubricants, coolants, drive belt, and bearing operation, filters, etc., to ensure proper equipment operation.
• Perform preventative maintenance on large commercial heating and cooling systems and controls for those systems.
• Adjust and calibrate large commercial heating and cooling systems and controls for those systems.
• Conduct refrigeration maintenance and service.
• Timely and accurate documentation of work in maintenance management system.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Successful candidates will have:

• A Grade Three Steam Engineer License, a Refrigeration Operating Engineer's License, and Universal EPA Technician Certification(these items are required for this position).
• Two years of experience, and demonstrated ability in operating, troubleshooting and repairing large-scale industrial, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, including boilers and pneumatic/digital (DDC) control systems.
• Experience in solving customer service issues with tact and diplomacy, and ability to work with a broad and diverse customer base.
• Knowledge of the products, materials, equipment and tools related to the industry.
• Knowledge of applied mathematics.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Experience in reading and interpreting blueprints.
• Experience evaluating and troubleshooting electrical and mechanical problems.

Supplemental Information

• This position has been designated by department leadership as a FIRST RESPONDER in the event of a proclaimed emergency. Meaning this position has a role in emergency response and is responsible for the protection and preservation of life, property, evidence, environment and/or restoration of order.
• The selected applicant must possess a valid Washington State driver's license or the ability to travel throughout King County in a timely manner in a variety of County vehicles.
• Final appointment is contingent upon successfully passing a thorough federal and county background investigation and clearing a pre-employment physical examination.
• This position reports to the King County Courthouse in Downtown Seattle, however, may be relocated to other locations such as the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, WA.
• Shifts: Swing (3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.)/Grave (11:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.) - We are recruiting for both shifts, days may vary.
• We are also creating a hiring list for any future career service positions that become available in the next 12 months.
• These positions are non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and are therefore overtime-eligible.
• Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule, every other Thursday, comprising a 40-hour workweek; schedule and work location are to be determined.
• This position is required to be on a paid rotating standby list for non-duty days such as weekends and holidays.
• Incumbents in these positions are represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 286.

WHO MAY APPLY:
This position is available to all applicants both internal and external.
Application Process:
Forms and Materials RequiredIf you are interested in this position, follow the application instructions carefully. The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

1. An online employment application completed at www.kingcounty.gov/jobs. The employment history should go back at least 10 years if you have 10 years of employment, or more to include all relevant experience. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application. All relevant experience must be included in the application.
2. Responses to Supplemental Questions
3. Please upload a copy of your required licenses

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact Jessica Mango at
COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
As the only jurisdiction in the world named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.
We have a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all - in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from vulnerable communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.
To learn more, please visit
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
Do you have A Grade Three Steam Engineer License

• Yes
• No

02
Do you have a Refrigeration Operating Engineer's License

• Yes
• No

03
Do you have Universal EPA Technician Certification

• Yes
• No

04
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant?

• Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my Career Service role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
• No

05
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff
Required Question