Cook

Summary These positions are located within Nutrition and Food Services at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) in Palo Alto, CA and Menlo Park, CA. These positions are also required to transport tray delivery carts to delivery sites located on the VAPAHCS premises. Learn more about this agency Duties Major duties and responsibilities of this position include (but are not limited to): Weigh, measure, and assemble ingredients for regular and modified menu items Perform duties in food preparation, food service, and transportation of meals Prepare simple recipes by mixing ingredients requiring little or no processing Portion foods for distribution, meal service or storage based on established procedures Print and process information from a computer related to diet orders, tray tickets, food tallies, supplemental feedings, tube feedings and other computerized data Prepare serving tray line for tray service with items such as entrees, meats, potatoes, vegetables, salads, desserts, beverages, condiments, tray ware, and serving utensils Perform a variety of tasks in the dishroom such as scraping trays, sorting, stacking and racking tray ware Assist with material handling duties as needed Transport tray delivery carts to delivery sites located on the VAPAHCS premises Operate and clean a variety of kitchen equipment (e.g. steamers, griddle, steam kettles, mixers, meat slicers, food processors, blast chillers) Loads/unloads the truck by hand Ensures load is arranged safely by weight to prevent shifting during transit Perform other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 6:00am-2:30pm pr 11:00am-7:30pm dependent on department need includes weekends and holidays Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Pre-employment physical required Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications Driver's License: A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License. PHYSICAL EFFORT: The incumbent performs work requiring light to moderate physical effort and is subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 pounds. The incumbent performs heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in uploading, storing and delivering supplies. May be required to work on ladders and use power-cleaning equipment. WORK CONDITIONS: The work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortable high temperatures, humidity, and noise. The work area is well lighted but usually noisy from food service activities, and there is danger of slipping on floors from food or beverages and from floors recently mopped. Incumbent is regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp cutting blades, hot working surfaces, cleaning chemicals and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units. May be unknowingly exposed to patients who have contagious diseases. Personal protective equipment is provided and must be worn as appropriate. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Dexterity and SafetyInterpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)MaterialsTechnical PracticesWithout more than normal supervisionWork Practices IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Education This job does not have an education qualification requirement. Additional information Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.