Food Service Worker Leader

Veterans Health Administration • Phoenix, AZ

27d • Onsite

About The Position

The Food Service Worker Leader works in the Food and Nutrition Service at the Phoenix VAMC, leading and directing Wage Grade personnel in food service and food production units. The role leads production and service-area activities, helps establish and sustain work methods and pace, and may lead food production in the absence of a Supervisor or Food Production Manager. The worker may also perform duties alongside employees and provides and documents on-the-job training for lower-graded food service workers.

The position involves preparing, serving, and portioning food; assembling and checking patient meal trays for completeness, temperature, and diet appropriateness; preparing nourishments and supplemental feedings; supporting patients with menu selections and basic diet information; and maintaining inventory and food-service records. Work may take place in food preparation, dish and pot washing, storage and receiving, and serving-line areas. The worker operates and cleans assigned equipment, sanitizes work areas, performs heavy-duty cleaning, and handles dishes, cookware, food supplies, and waste.

The service operates seven days a week, including holidays. The stated tour of duty is 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Physical work ranges from light to moderate effort and may include heavy tasks such as scrubbing large cookware and pushing heavy carts. The position involves continuous sitting, standing, and walking; frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending; frequent lifting or moving objects up to 20 pounds without assistance; and occasional lifting or moving objects over 40 pounds with assistance.

Requirements

• Evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to demonstrate ability to perform the work; no specific length of training or experience is required.
• A resume must provide detailed descriptions supporting the applicant's knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties.
• Applicants are evaluated against the screen-out element and 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.
• U.S. citizenship is required, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Must be suitable for federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Selected applicants in testing-designated positions must undergo urinalysis for illegal drug use before appointment; refusal results in denial of VA employment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Selected applicants must complete online onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Must serve a one-year probationary period.
• Annual seasonal influenza vaccination is required for VA Health Care Personnel, unless an exemption is granted for medical or religious reasons; employees with an exemption must wear a face mask.
• Must meet the physical demands of the position, including prolonged sitting, standing, and walking; frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending; lifting or moving up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally over 40 pounds with assistance.

Responsibilities

• Set up assigned tray-line stations with the correct supplies and food items, serve uniform portions, and clean and break down stations after service.
• Set up dining room tables, place and replenish food and beverages, return soiled trays and dishes, and deliver meal trays to patients' bedsides.
• Report patients' comments and complaints to a supervisor or dietitian, distribute menus and surveys, help patients make selections, and provide basic information about modified diets and available nutrition services.
• Prepare beverages, fresh fruit, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, simple cold desserts, uncooked food items, and boxed or to-go meals in specified quantities.
• Sort, wash, peel, and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment; assist cooks by weighing, measuring, assembling, labeling, and arranging ingredients and recipe items.
• Portion foods to standard serving sizes and prepare individual and bulk nourishments and supplemental foods and beverages according to standardized recipes and sanitary procedures.
• Check diet trays assembled by lower-grade workers for completeness, correct temperatures, and consistency with prescribed diets; identify obvious discrepancies and determine appropriate items for common diets when a tray ticket identifies only the diet type.
• Determine ingredient quantities for required yields and convert between metric and standard measurements.
• Take nourishment inventories, stock items using first-in, first-out procedures, replace expired items, and label and distribute individual nourishments.
• Operate, break down, and clean assigned food-service equipment; sterilize equipment and sanitize work areas.
• Work in kitchen functional areas, including food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage and receiving, and the serving line.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning; separate food waste and trash from dishes, glasses, and silverware; unload delivery carts; store sanitized dishes and utensils; clean cookware; and move garbage cans and trash to disposal areas.
• Use a computer terminal to record and retrieve recipe, menu, and inventory data and produce reports.
• Communicate work instructions and information to employees; communicate problems and events to supervisors, managers, and employees; and participate in resolving problems after obtaining necessary information or decisions.
• Maintain current knowledge of procedures, policies, written instructions, and directives, and answer other workers' questions.
• Lead production and service-area activities, communicate how work is to be started and accomplished, and lead food production when a Supervisor or Food Production Manager is absent.
• Work alongside employees as needed to demonstrate proper methods and establish and sustain work pace.
• Provide and document on-the-job training for lower-graded food service workers.
• 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 eligibility.
• VA may grant qualifying newly appointed federal employees credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual, subject to approval before appointment and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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