Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Perry Point, MD

12d • Onsite

About The Position

This Food Service Worker position is in Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Medical Center in Perry Point, Maryland. The employee works in one or more kitchen functional areas, including food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage, receiving, and the serving line. Duties include preparing, portioning, serving, and delivering food and nourishments; checking patient diet trays; maintaining kitchen equipment and work areas; washing dishes and cookware; and recording or retrieving recipe, menu, and inventory data using a computer terminal.

Work is performed in kitchen areas where cooking and dishwashing equipment can create high heat and humidity. The work requires continuous standing and walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. The employee may perform heavy tasks such as scrubbing large cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts. Objects weighing up to 20 pounds are frequently lifted or moved without assistance; objects weighing more than 40 pounds may occasionally be lifted or moved with assistance.

The position has a full-time rotating schedule that includes weekends and holidays. A one-year probationary period is required. Employees in covered VA health care personnel roles must participate in the seasonal influenza program or obtain an approved medical or religious exemption; a face mask is required when an exemption is granted.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Must be suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing-designated position must undergo urinalysis for illegal drug use before appointment; refusal results in denial of employment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Must complete the online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Must complete a one-year probationary period and receive written certification that continued employment advances the public interest to remain employed after that period.
• Must meet the position's screen-out qualification requirement and demonstrate through detailed resume descriptions the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the work. No specific length of training or experience is required.
• Must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Covered VA health care personnel must receive an annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain a medical or religious exemption; employees with an exemption must wear a face mask.

Nice To Haves

• Reliable and dependable food-service work experience.
• Experience using proper cleaning solutions to sanitize food-preparation surfaces.
• Experience cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers in a food-service or food-handling organization.
• Experience handling and storing sanitized dishes, glasses, and silverware.
• Experience making sandwiches from prepared ingredients for food-preparation tray lines.
• Experience portioning food into standard serving sizes using proper utensils and containers.
• Experience assembling and tossing fresh-fruit or green salads in large quantities for tray lines.
• Experience brewing coffee using a commercial-size coffee maker.
• Experience setting up glasses, silverware, dishes, trays, and condiments.
• Experience scouring and scrubbing heavy cooking utensils such as mixing bowls and pots.
• Experience performing heavy-duty cleaning, such as cleaning ceilings or exhaust hoods.
• Experience loading and operating a continuous conveyor-belt feeding dishwasher.
• Experience setting up steam tables.

Responsibilities

• Set up assigned tray-line stations with the required supplies and food items, serve uniform portions, and break down and clean stations.
• Set up dining room tables, place and replenish food and beverages, and return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room.
• Deliver meal trays to patients' bedsides and report patient comments or complaints to a supervisor or dietitian.
• Prepare beverages, fresh fruit, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, simple cold desserts, and uncooked food items 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 according to standardized recipes.
• Operate, break down, and clean food-service equipment; portion food into standard serving sizes and prepare boxed or to-go meals.
• Check diet trays assembled by lower-grade workers for completeness, correct food temperatures, and appropriateness for prescribed diets; identify obvious discrepancies and select items for common diets when specified by the diet card or tray ticket.
• Distribute menus and surveys to patients and provide basic information about modified diets and available nutrition services.
• Prepare individual and bulk nourishments and supplemental foods and beverages, following standardized recipes and sanitary techniques; determine ingredient quantities 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.
• Sterilize equipment and sanitize work areas.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning throughout food-service and related areas; separate food waste and trash from dishes, glasses, and silverware.
• Unload food and tray-delivery carts; store sanitized dishes, glasses, and silverware; scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils; and move garbage cans to transfer trash to disposal areas.
• Use a computer terminal to record and retrieve recipe, menu, and inventory data and produce reports.

Benefits

• Federal employees receive access to a comprehensive benefits package for themselves and their families; specific eligibility depends on position type.

What This Job Offers

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