Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Fort Meade, SD

5d • Onsite

About The Position

This Wage Grade 3 position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service at the Fort Meade, South Dakota VA Medical Center. Food Service Workers perform a sequence of tasks requiring attention to work operations, follow established procedures, and complete repetitive assignments in a set sequence. The role supports meal service for patients and food preparation and cleaning operations.

The VA Midwest Health Care Network follows a Whole Health System approach that supports personalized health plans for Veterans through healing relationships and environments and connections to the Veteran's community. This approach aligns with the Veterans Health Administration mission to honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

The work schedule is either 6:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. or 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m., with rotating days off, including weekends and holidays. Work is performed in kitchen areas where cooking and dishwashing equipment can create high temperatures and humidity. The work involves light to moderate physical effort and may include heavy tasks such as scrubbing large utensils and moving heavy carts or trucks. Employees stand and walk continuously and frequently stoop, reach, push, pull, and bend; they frequently lift or move up to 20 pounds without assistance and occasionally move more than 40 pounds with assistance.

Requirements

• Demonstrate training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to perform the work; no specific length of training or experience is required.
• Provide detailed resume descriptions supporting the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties.
• Meet the qualification standards for the Federal Wage System and the position's screen-out element.
• Demonstrate the job-related competencies evaluated: dexterity and safety; interpreting instructions and specifications; materials; technical practices; using and maintaining tools and equipment; working without more than normal supervision; and work practices.
• Be a U.S. citizen, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Be suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Meet Selective Service registration requirements if male and born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete the required online onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Serve a one-year probationary period.
• Participate in the VA 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 an assigned station with the correct supplies and food items.
• Portion food items into standard serving sizes using proper utensils and specified dishware.
• Select and place the correct items on patient trays.
• Decide which food items to serve for the most common diets.
• Identify obvious discrepancies between prescribed diets and menu-designated food 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 with food preparation, including weighing, measuring, and assembling ingredients according to standardized recipes.
• Prepare fresh fruit, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, and simple cold desserts.
• Read and interpret regular or modified menus, individual diet cards, tray tickets, or patient selections.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning throughout food service and related areas.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.
• VA may grant credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual, subject to prior request and approval and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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