Food Service Worker Leader

Veterans Health Administration • Iron Mountain, MI

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is in the Nutrition and Food Division at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, a Level 3 Complexity VHA facility. The Food Service Worker Leader prepares and serves food, understands special food-preparation and patient-service procedures, and leads or guides lower-grade food service workers and production and service staff when the supervisor is absent.

The role includes preparing, portioning, and serving food; setting up and maintaining service stations and dining areas; delivering patient meal trays; assisting with food preparation; and carrying out cleaning, safety, and sanitation duties. The leader communicates work instructions, assigns and reviews tasks, provides on-the-job training, monitors employee performance, evaluates food before service, and reports issues or initiates corrective actions.

Work is full-time on a rotating schedule that includes days, weekends, and holidays, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Work takes place in kitchen areas that may be hot and humid. The position requires continuous standing and walking and frequent bending, stooping, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Workers may lift or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds frequently without assistance and occasionally move objects over 40 pounds with assistance. Light-to-moderate physical work is typical, with some heavy work such as scrubbing large utensils and moving heavy carts.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete the required online onboarding and pre-employment identification requirements.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the announcement's Required Documents section.
• Serve a one-year probationary period and receive written certification to continue employment after that period.
• Demonstrate training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the work; specific training duration or experience length is not required.
• Provide detailed resume descriptions supporting knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the duties.
• Meet the position's screen-out element and demonstrate the job elements, including dexterity and safety; interpreting instructions and specifications; leading or supervising; materials; technical practices; using and maintaining tools and equipment; and work practices.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza program by receiving annual vaccination or obtaining a medical or religious exemption; wear a face mask when an exemption is granted.

Responsibilities

• Set up and break down assigned stations with the correct supplies and food items.
• Portion food into standard serving sizes using proper utensils and specified dishware.
• Select and place correct items on patient trays; identify appropriate food items for common diets and obvious discrepancies between prescribed diets and menu items.
• Set up dining room tables, place food and beverages, and replenish items as needed.
• Deliver meal trays to patients' bedsides and report patient comments and complaints to a supervisor or dietitian.
• Assist cooks by weighing, measuring, and assembling ingredients according to standardized recipes.
• Prepare fresh fruit, cold salads and dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, and simple cold desserts.
• Read and interpret regular or modified menus, individual diet cards, tray tickets, and patient selections.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning in food service and related areas.
• Communicate work instructions and information to employees and communicate problems and events to supervisors, managers, and employees.
• Maintain knowledge of procedures, policies, written instructions, and directives to answer coworkers' questions.
• Lead activities in production and service areas and assign tasks to work-group members.
• Provide and document on-the-job training for lower-graded food service workers.
• Complete safety and sanitation inspection checklists, document problems, and initiate action to resolve them.
• Review daily work assignment sheets and adjust assignments and work sequence as needed.
• Observe employees' daily activities and work performance and provide information to the supervisor for evaluations.
• Promptly enter work orders for equipment needing repair.
• Evaluate food before service, including temperature, taste, and appearance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed