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Summary This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Services department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Roseburg, OR. The person in this position prepares nutritious, high quality meals for service to the Veterans. The person in this position organizes and coordinates the work of lower grade cooks at one or more work centers in a production kitchen in order to accomplish a variety of quantity cooking operations. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include: - Independently prepares all types of food for regular and modified diets - Prepares, cooks, seasons, and portions food for all meals so that the completed food products are ready at the appropriate temperature and time and are visually appealing to customers - Prepares menu items using special or difficult recipes that require numerous interrelated steps, many ingredients, and lengthy preparation time - Calculates and determines serving portions from quantities of food issued to include meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruits, sauces, and gravies for regular and modified diets - Coordinates the cooking of items prepared by other cooks at one or more work centers - Grills eggs, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; broils meats; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches - Uses a variety of methods to prepare meats, fish, and poultry including broiling, roasting, baking, frying, boiling, steaming, stewing, braising, and grilling - Slices meat items by hand, confirming to specific size requirements or weight specifications - Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, and muffin batters - Prepares and heats convenience items, and prepares pureed 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 - Makes a variety of desserts such as cobblers, brownies, cookies, and pastries - Tests and evaluates new food products - Develops and modifies standardized recipes - Advises lower grade food service workers and cooks on tray assembly issues, dishwashing procedures, and quality control issues, such as plating techniques, tray arrangements, and practices to maintain temperatures and safety of food. - Performs other related duties Work Schedule: Monday - Thursday; 5:30am - 4:00pm PST Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99817-S Physical Requirements: Subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted. Manipulates cumbersome and heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on caster, or operating heavy equipment. Manual dexterity needed to safely operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades. Hand-eye coordination and ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment. Working Conditions: Performs work in areas of temperature extremes. 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. Exposed to stems, cooking odors, and noise from equipment and conversation. Subject to hazards of cuts, bruises, strains, burns and falls in kitchen equipment. Strong cleaning and sanitizing solutions may 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 physically 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 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 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.08/06/2025 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. Examples include: I possess the ability to perform as a Cook without more than normal supervision. As my resume demonstrates, I have experience in a quantity food service healthcare environment, independently performing the following duties: Organizing and coordinating the work of lower level cooks in a hospital/healthcare environment, in order to accomplish a variety of quantity cooking operations. Developing and modifying standardized recipes. Advising lower grade food service workers and cooks on tray assembly issues, dishwashing procedures, and quality control issues, such as plating techniques, tray arrangements, and practices to maintain temperatures and safety of food. Independently prepares a variety of large quantities of food, including preparing and cooking regular and therapeutic diet (diabetic, low sodium, low protein, gluten free, etc.) entrees and dessert items, planning cooking processes to produce meals on time and at the proper temperature which may require coordination of cooking several items with different cooking times. Cooking a variety of menu items including regular and special diet entrees and dessert items; portioning and serving food into standard service sizes; roast, broil, bake, fry, boil, steam, and stew meats, fish, and poultry. Prepare soups, stocks, broths, gravies, sauces, and puddings without the use of packaged mixes. Adjust standardized recipes for the number of servings required in large quantity cooking. Maintain the proper temperature for all foods during holding, transport, reheating, and serving to assure quality control and food safety. 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. Education There is no educational substitution at this wage level. Additional Information 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. 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.