Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Syracuse, NY

26d • Onsite

About The Position

This full-time Food Service Worker position is within Nutrition & Food Service at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. The role involves preparing and serving food to patients, supporting cooks with food preparation, maintaining dining and food-service areas, and delivering meal trays. The work schedule is typically 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on rotating days.

Work is performed in kitchen areas where cooking and dishwashing equipment can create high temperatures and humidity. The position requires light to moderate physical work, with occasional heavy tasks such as scrubbing large cooking utensils and pushing loaded carts or trucks. The role involves continuous standing and walking, frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending, and lifting or moving objects up to 20 pounds frequently without assistance and objects over 40 pounds occasionally with assistance.

Applicants are evaluated under the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications using job elements and a screen-out element requiring the ability to perform the work without more than normal supervision. No specific length of training or experience is required, but applicants must provide resume details showing training or experience sufficient to demonstrate their ability to perform the work. There is no education qualification requirement. A one-year probationary period is required.

Requirements

• Ability to perform the work of the position without more than normal supervision.
• Training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to demonstrate the ability to perform the work; no specific length is required.
• U.S. citizenship, unless appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy because qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• Applicants tentatively selected for a testing-designated position must undergo urinalysis for illegal drug use before appointment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Selected applicants must complete the online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Must serve a one-year probationary period.
• Health Care Personnel must receive an annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain a medical or religious exemption; those with an exemption must wear a face mask.
• Demonstrated ability or competency in dexterity and safety; interpreting instructions and specifications; materials; technical practices; using and maintaining tools and equipment; and work practices.
• Applicants seeking credit for experience must clearly describe duties, responsibilities, and hours worked per week on their resume.

Responsibilities

• Set up and break down assigned stations 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 for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary.
• 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 and 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 tasks throughout food-service and related areas.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; eligibility depends on position type and agency-specific terms.
• Annual leave accrual may be credited for qualifying job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service, 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