Food Service Worker
What you'd do
The VA has adopted Core Values & Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, & how we care for Veterans, their families & other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect & Excellence ("I CARE"). As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities & leadership positions at your fingertips.
Major duties
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation. Major Duties: Sets up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenishes items as necessary. Identifies obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu. Uses general sanitation principles to safeguard food against spoilage and waste. Prevents contamination by cleaning equipment previously used for raw food. Prepares boxed/to go meals. Organizes work in a logical sequence. Serves food cafeteria style by placing uniform portions of food on customers'/patients'/residents' plates. Prepares fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts in specified quantities. Provides assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes. Prepares uncooked food items, such as sandwich spread and salad dressings. Portions food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware. Prepares beverages according to the number of servings required. Selects and places correct items on trays. Read and interpret a regular or modified menu, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections. Understands of food terminology, measurements, and serving information in standardized recipes and menus. Sorts, washes, peels and cuts cold foods using knives or other equipment. Sets up assigned station with the correct supplies and food items. Operates and breaks down and cleans all equipment assigned to food service and related areas, Scrapes, soaks, scours, and scrubs cookware and utensils. Breaks down and cleans food stations. Separates food waste, trash/recyclables from dishes, glasses and silverware. Stores sanitized dishes, glasses and silverware. Returns soiled trays and dishes to the dish room. Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas. Unloads food/tray delivery carts. Moves garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area. Delivers meal trays. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts 5am-8pm including weekends and holidays Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/PD99920A Physical Requirements: Work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. Performs work requiring light to moderate physical. May be required to perform heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. Subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others.
What you need to qualify
Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision Work Practices Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Before you apply
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