CANADA CRS WATERWORKS
Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety | NFPA 96 Certified | Ottawa, ON
Fire Safety & Exhaust Systems Technician
Full-Time | Overnight + Some Daytime | Ottawa, ON
- Probation $28/hr — All new hires start here
- Junior Tech $30/hr — Field-ready, cleared probation
- Senior Tech $35/hr — Runs own jobs + crew
- Plus per-job performance bonuses for efficient, quality-certified work
Read this posting in full before applying. It is intentionally detailed — and that is the point.
WHO WE ARE
CRS Waterworks is an Ottawa-based commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning company. We operate to NFPA 96 fire safety standards — meaning every job we complete is inspected, documented, and certified. Our clients are restaurants, hotels, institutions, and commercial food operations that depend on us to keep their kitchens legally compliant and their buildings safe from grease fires. This company is growing, and there is real room to grow with it.
WHAT THIS JOB ACTUALLY IS
You are a fire safety technician, not a cleaner. Every time a commercial kitchen accumulates grease, and you remove it, you are eliminating the fuel that causes building fires. That work is inspected. It is documented with before-and-after reporting. It is presented to the client. There is no cutting corners, and we have no interest in people who try.
You will get dirty. Every single shift. You will work inside hood systems, up into ductwork, and on rooftops — in Ottawa weather — with hot water pressure washers, industrial chemical degreasers, and your hands. You will go home at 4 or 5 am smelling like a kitchen and feeling like you earned it. If that sounds satisfying to you, read on.
THE SCHEDULE — READ THIS CAREFULLY
Virtually all work is done overnight. Shift start times typically fall between 10 pm and 1 am. Some daytime work is part of the job — you need to be available for both.
We have hired people who said they were fine with this and weren't. We have no interest in repeating that. If your life, your family, your sleep schedule, or your other obligations are not genuinely compatible with overnight work, this is not the right position. There is no version of this job that changes that.
If you're reading this at midnight and thinking "this sounds like me" — you're probably right.
HOW PAY WORKS
You're paid your hourly rate for the allowable time on every job — a real, known time built from that account's complexity and real industry standards for this trade. Not a guess.
Finish clean and fully documented in less than the allowable time, and you're still paid the full allowable time. The time you save is your bonus — every job, every night. Example: a job allows five hours. You finish in four, done right. You get paid for five. That extra hour is yours.
Run consistently over the allowable time, and this isn't the right fit — we need technicians who can work at the pace the job actually requires.
You start at $28/hr on probation, move to $30/hr as a Junior Tech once you've cleared it, and $35/hr at Senior Tech based on demonstrated performance — experienced hires may start higher. All hours worked are paid at your hourly rate; the bonus is what's on top for beating the allowable time.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
We hire entry-level candidates and experienced tradespeople alike. If you have field experience — including those who have led their own crews — you are strongly encouraged to apply. Compensation reflects what you bring from day one.
Your application moves to the top if you have experience in:
- Kitchen exhaust or hood cleaning — any level
- Plumbing, drain cleaning, or pipe work
- HVAC or mechanical systems
- Pressure washing or industrial cleaning
- Roofing, construction, or any physically demanding skilled trade
- Small engine or equipment repair
NON-NEGOTIABLE REQUIREMENTS
- Full availability for overnight shifts and some daytime work
- Valid, full Ontario driver's licence (not G1/G2) with a clean abstract — hard requirement, no exceptions
- Able to read, write, and speak English. Every job is documented and reported to the client from a tablet in the field — if you can't read a checklist or write a clear note, this isn't the job for you. French or another second language is a genuine asset, not a requirement
- Comfortable using a tablet for daily reporting — this is not a paper job
- General mechanical aptitude — you're operating pressure washers, degreaser systems, and hand tools every shift; if equipment intimidates you, this will be a hard climb
- Physical ability to work in confined spaces, on ladders, and on rooftops in all weather
- Tolerance for industrial degreasers, heat, and hot water pressure equipment
- Consistent reliability — our clients schedule around us and we do not miss
OUR HIRING PROCESS — WHAT TO EXPECT
1. Apply on Indeed with your resume. In your cover note, tell us one thing about your background that makes you right for physical, overnight, technical work. Applications without this are deprioritized.
2. Qualified applicants receive online training material and a written assessment. The assessment must be completed after midnight. This is not arbitrary — it mirrors the actual working hours and tells us whether you're serious. If completing a test at that hour is a problem, the job itself will be a bigger one.
3. Candidates who pass advance to a deeper training module and skills assessment before any offer is made.
CRS Waterworks | Ottawa, ON
Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety NFPA 96 Certified
Pay: $28.00-$35.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
