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Summary The Cook position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service (N&FS) at the Captain James A. Lovell FHCC in North Chicago, IL.. and is internal to the facility. N&FS is responsible for providing meals and nutritional care to Veterans, Active Duty, and Dependents patients at the Medical Center. The primary purpose of the Cook, WG-4, is to prepare nutritious, high-quality meals for service. The position has a sequence of steps that require attention to work operations, sanitation, and safety. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include: Prepares and cooks meals that require little or no processing, such as hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies Follows menus, production sheets, and recipes to proper items in the quantity needed Grills eggs, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; broils meats; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, and muffin batters Prepares and heats convenience items such as frozen hash browns, fish fillets, and chicken nuggets; Prepares purred foods and adjusts consistency with thickeners Washes, peels, and cuts fruits and vegetables; assembles and mixes salad ingredients and dessert items, including gelatin molds and fruit crisps Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets Operates a variety of kitchen equipment and follows appropriate safety procedures Follows sanitary food handling procedures Disassembles and reassembles equipment for cleaning Cleans and sanitizes work areas, and performs deep cleaning tasks when needed Operates dish machine Performs other related duties Work Schedule: one position at 5:00am-1:30pm, and one position at 10:00am-6:30pm, or 11:00am-7:30pm, with rotating days off and holidays. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Telework: Is not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/99819-S Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/03/2025. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). 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: 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. 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. RESPONSIBILITY Completes assignments under the general supervision of the established team leadership. Is expected to complete daily assignments and work from oral instructions and written guides such as menus, recipes, and production worksheets. Technical instruction on food preparation tasks may come from a higher-grade cook, supervisor or dietitian. Detailed instructions are given only for special projects or when learning new or more difficult work. Products are evaluated by the supervisor or higher-grade cook for taste, texture, appearance, and overall adherence to recipe and time schedules. Provides quality meals to patients that are visually appealing, fresh, safe, and of proper temperature. Quality meal service has an impact on patient satisfaction and overall hospital experience. Food taste, temperature and appearance affect patients' food consumption and nutritional therapy, which have an effect on well­ being and health. Adhere to recipes and worksheets to ensure patient satisfaction and prevent patient safety incident. Receives written and/or oral instructions from immediate supervisor. Works as scheduled; performs assignments, organizes work, and knows steps to complete assignments to meet deadlines. Exercises good judgment. Knows when to seek assistance or guidance. Responsible for employing knowledge gained in training and classes to the daily work. Follows food safety and hazard analysis critical control (HACCP) principles in preparation and handling of food products to prevent bacterial contamination and food-borne illness. Policies and procedures for proper food handling, infection control, and safety are derived from Joint Commission standards, VHA standards, OSHA, Serve Safe and the FDA/State Specific Food Code. Failure to practice safe food handling techniques and/or to adhere to sanitation policy can result in food borne illness. Follows equipment operation procedures, patient identification procedures, and safety practices to prevent accidents and injury to self, patients and coworkers. Cooperates with supervisors and co-workers and displays patience, understanding, and a customer service attitude during daily contact with patients and staff. Interacts with other cooks and ingredient control staff to cooperatively and efficiently produce meals and accomplish routine cleaning. Maintains clean, orderly work areas; sanitizes per established procedures; uses PPEs provided. Maintains good personal hygiene, clean and neat appearance, and observes approved dress code. Attends education and training sessions. Complies with mandatory training requirements. Maintains personal computer access. Utilizes computer as required. Is compliant with computer security mandates; protects patient privacy. PHYSICAL EFFORT Is subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted and occasionally lifts or moves objects weighing more than 40 lbs. with assistance of a lifting device or other workers. Manipulates cumbersome, heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on casters or operating heavy equipment. Possesses manual dexterity to operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades safely. Utilizes eye-hand coordination and the ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment. WORKING CONDITIONS Performs work in areas of extremes of temperature. Work is carried out in kitchen/dish room areas that are often hot, uncomfortable and noisy. Environment includes exposure to extreme cold while working in walk-in refrigerators and freezers for extended periods of time to complete duties. Works with other cooks, food service workers and supervisors. Is exposed to steam, cooking odors, and noise from equipment and conversation. Is subject to hazards of cuts, bruises, strains, burns and falls in kitchen environment. Uses strong cleaning and sanitizing solutions which may frequently be skin and respiratory irritants. Performs work in patient care settings where there may be exposure to contagious disease. May have contact with patients who demonstrate verbally and /or physical aggressive behavior. Required to wear proper hair covering and clean uniform. Wear disposable gloves when handling food for service and proper protective equipment when completing cleaning activities. CUSTOMER SERVICE Meets customer's needs while supporting the VA missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately. AUTOMATED DATA PROCESSING (ADP) SECURITY Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy. Protects the data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion. Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc., as set out in the computer access agreement that the employee signs. Education Education is not required for this position. IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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