Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Cleveland, OH

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This full-time Food Service Worker position is located within Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System in Cleveland, Ohio. The role supports food-service operations, including food preparation, sanitation, dishwashing, recipe measurement and yield adjustment, tray assembly, and service to Veterans. The worker must follow food-safety procedures, sanitation standards, diet instructions, and routine methods used throughout the food-service operation. The schedule is five working days per week, including weekends, with two days off. The position requires continuous standing and walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending; workers may also handle heavy utensils and carts and lift or move items of varying weights.

Applicants must demonstrate training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the work; no specific length of experience or education qualification is required. Employment is subject to federal suitability and onboarding requirements, including a one-year probationary period. VA Health Care Personnel must receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption; masking is required when an exemption is granted.

Requirements

• Demonstrated training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the duties; no specific length of training or experience is required.
• Ability to plan and organize work and complete assignments.
• Knowledge of food contamination prevention, sanitation standards, dishwashing sanitation, and safe food-temperature practices.
• Ability to read and understand written instructions, schedules, safety data sheets, menus, recipes, and diet cards.
• Ability to perform arithmetic computations using decimals, fractions, and percentages and to measure and weigh ingredients accurately.
• Knowledge of tube-feeding preparation and sanitation principles to prevent bacterial contamination.
• Knowledge of basic modified diets, diet card color codes, and special diet notations; ability to verify patient trays against prescribed diets.
• Ability to use a computer for basic data entry and retrieval.
• Ability to use measuring utensils and portion-control scales and adjust recipe yields according to standard procedures.
• Ability to carry out the functions of a small work unit and train lower-grade workers.
• Interpersonal skills to interact appropriately with Veterans, visitors, coworkers, supervisors, and other medical-center personnel.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Suitability for federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• Selective Service registration for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Ability to complete required onboarding and provide acceptable identification.
• Ability to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Ability to meet VA Health Care Personnel seasonal influenza vaccination requirements or obtain an allowed medical or religious exemption.
• Physical ability to stand and walk continuously; stoop, reach, push, pull, and bend frequently; and lift or move objects up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally more than 40 pounds with assistance.

Responsibilities

• Plan and organize work to complete assignments and carry out the functions of a small work unit.
• Prepare food and special feedings, including tube feedings, using appropriate measurements, ingredient weights, and sanitation procedures.
• Adjust recipe yields and calculate ingredient quantities using decimals, fractions, and percentages.
• Follow food safety and sanitation procedures, including preventing cross-contamination, sanitizing equipment and dishes, and maintaining safe food temperatures.
• Read menus, recipes, work instructions, duty schedules, and hazardous-chemical safety data sheets.
• Read diet cards and color codes, apply basic modified-diet principles, and verify that patient trays contain the correct food for prescribed diets.
• Use portion-control scales and appropriate measuring utensils to measure and weigh ingredients accurately.
• Use a computer to enter and retrieve basic diet-order, recipe, menu, and inventory information.
• Use routine methods and procedures in all functional areas of food service.
• Train lower-grade workers in methods and procedures.
• Interact appropriately with Veterans, visitors, coworkers, supervisors, and other medical-center personnel.
• Perform physical food-service tasks, including cleaning large cooking utensils and pushing carts or trucks to unload, store, and deliver supplies.

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.
• VA may offer newly appointed federal employees credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval before appointment and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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