2026

United Indian Health Se•Smith River, CA

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Cook will assist the Elder Nutrition Supervisor for the responsibility of daily implementation of grant funded elder nutrition requirements which consists of providing daily congregate meals on site, meal deliveries within Del Norte County, and collect data as required by United Indian Health Services (UIHS). Within this role, the Assistant Cook will also be assigned to a small team working in a kitchen environment and may occasionally perform the duties of the Elder Nutrition Delivery Driver to maintain services of the program. This position works directly with our Tribal community. Within this position, the planning and implementation of all work is guided by the cultural, traditional values and practices of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent and one (1) year of related experience of working in a kitchen.
Thorough knowledge of health, sanitation, and safety codes for food service preparation.
Understanding basic principles of proper nutrition.
Intermediate personal computer skills, including electronic mail, routine database activity, word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, etc.
High school diploma or equivalent and two (2) years of related experience of working in a kitchen or Associate of Arts degree (AA) or a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (BA/BS) in a related field such as Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, etc. and related experience of working in a kitchen or a combination of experience, education, and certification equivalent. Specialty certifications in culinary arts will also be considered.
High school diploma or equivalent and three (3) years of related experience of working in a kitchen or Associate of Arts degree (AA) or a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (BA/BS) in a related field such as Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, etc. and (1) year of experience of working in a kitchen or a combination of experience, education, and certification equivalent. Specialty certifications in culinary arts will also be considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience working within the American Indian and Tribal communities preferred.

Responsibilities

Assists and trains staff and volunteers in all aspects of the daily operations for the Elder Nutrition program including but not limited to cleaning, cooking, serving techniques to meet the health and safety codes and regulations.
Assists in all aspects of meal preparation and service which includes, but is not limited to the following: Abides by State and Federal health, sanitation, and safety regulations. Maintains temperature records for food service. Receives and examines foods and supplies to ensure quality and quantity to meet health and safety codes and regulations. Select and develop recipes based on type of food to be prepared. Ability to modify, enlarge, or reduce recipes under the direction of the Elder Nutrition Supervisor. Skillful in estimating food consumption to purchase food and to maintain an inventory of needed supplies. Cooks or otherwise prepares food according to recipe. Cuts, trims, carves, and bones meats and poultry for cooking. Portions cooked foods or give instructions to staff as to size of portions and methods of garnishing.
Prepare therapeutic diet specialized meals designed to treat or manage specific medical conditions.
Maintains compliance with the rules and regulations administered by the funder and UIHS.
Attends organizational UIHS meetings.
Assists in the organization of educational activities to increase community knowledge.
Assists with the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community and Tribes to achieve goals and objectives.
Maintains a professional, organized, clean working environment by following organizational policies, guidelines, and safety standards.
Adheres to accreditation, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), compliance standards/guidelines, and UIHS Policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
Willing to learn more about the American Indian culture and attend at least one Cultural Presentation/Training per year.
Willing to work with American Indian/Alaska Native people and demonstrate cultural awareness and humility.
Willing to deliver services in a culturally responsive manner.
Assists Elder Nutrition Supervisor to provide nutrition and supportive services for elders that include, but are not limited to education, information/referral, outreach, homemaker services, chores, family support, and transportation as required by funding agency.
Assists Elder Nutrition Supervisor to provide support for caregivers that include, but are not limited to outreach services, assessment, referral, procurement of services such as respite, homemaker, chores, and transportation as required by the funding agency.
Assists in the identification of key local partners.
Assists in the preparation of data for timely submission of grant reporting.
Contributes to the development of policy, procedures, and quality improvement activities pertaining to elder nutrition services.
Maintains data system management reports.
Assists in the implementation of needs assessments which may include the following: focus groups, surveys (paper and electronic), community forums/meetings, key informant interviews, individual interviews, etc.
Provides training and guidance for staff to develop skills in event planning and data collection.
Assists in the evaluation and data collection components of the grant are completed.
Undertakes special projects assigned by the Elder Nutrition Supervisor.
Other duties may be assigned.