Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Kerrville, TX

26d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located at the Kerrville VA Medical Center in Kerrville, Texas. The Food Service Worker prepares and serves food, assembles and delivers patient trays, supports food preparation, maintains sanitation and food safety, and performs heavy-duty cleaning in food service and related areas. The role includes cafeteria-style service, preparing boxed meals and cold foods, portioning food and beverages, and setting up work stations and dining areas. The worker reads menus, diet cards, tray tickets, and patient selections, and identifies obvious discrepancies between prescribed diets and menu items. The work environment may be noisy and high-heat and requires customer service and compliance with applicable privacy and security regulations for data handling.

The position has rotating shifts between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., including nights, weekends, and holidays. Physical requirements include moderate lifting and carrying of 15–44 pounds, pushing, reaching above shoulder level, frequent use of both hands and fingers, walking and standing for extended periods, and some climbing. Specific vision and hearing abilities and mental and emotional stability are also required.

A specific length of training or experience is not required. Applicants must demonstrate training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the work, supported by detailed resume descriptions. There is no education qualification requirement. Employment is subject to federal suitability requirements, applicable pre-employment screening and onboarding, and a one-year probationary period. VA Health Care Personnel must receive an annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an eligible exemption; masking is required when an exemption is granted.

Requirements

• Demonstrated training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the work; no specific length of training or experience is required.
• Ability to perform duties involving food preparation, service, sanitation, cleaning, and operation and maintenance of food-service equipment, as supported by detailed resume descriptions.
• Ability to meet the physical requirements, including moderate lifting and carrying of 15–44 pounds, pushing, reaching above shoulder level, use of fingers and both hands, walking and standing, and climbing with the legs.
• Near vision correctable at 13 to 16 inches to Jaeger 1 to 4 and vision of 20/40 in both eyes.
• Hearing with or without hearing aids sufficient to hear normal conversation without visual cues.
• Mental and emotional stability.
• 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.
• For applicants selected for a testing-designated position, successful completion of urinalysis screening for illegal drug use before appointment.
• Selective Service registration for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Completion of required onboarding and application documentation.
• Completion of a one-year probationary period with written certification for continued employment.

Responsibilities

• Set up dining room tables and assigned food stations with the correct supplies and food items; place and replenish food and beverages.
• Identify obvious discrepancies between prescribed diets and menu-designated food items.
• Apply general sanitation practices to safeguard food from spoilage and waste and prevent contamination, including cleaning equipment used for raw food.
• Prepare boxed or to-go meals, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, simple cold desserts, uncooked food items, and beverages in required quantities.
• Assist cooks by weighing, measuring, and assembling ingredients according to standardized recipes.
• Serve cafeteria-style food in uniform portions and portion food using appropriate utensils and dishware.
• Select and place correct food items on trays; read and interpret regular or modified menus, diet cards, tray tickets, and patient selections.
• Sort, wash, peel, and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment.
• Operate, break down, and clean food service equipment and stations; scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils.
• Separate food waste and trash or recyclables from dishes, glasses, and silverware; store sanitized dishes and return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning throughout food service and related areas.
• Unload food and tray delivery carts and move garbage cans while transferring trash to disposal areas.
• Deliver meal trays.
• Provide customer service and follow applicable privacy and security regulations for data handling.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to employees and their families; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.
• Annual leave accrual may be credited for approved job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service, subject to approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

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