Food Service Worker Full-Time

This Food Service Worker position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service at the Central Western Massachusetts VA Medical Center within VISN 1.

Duties:

• Set up cafeteria lines, steam tables, dining room tables, and side service stands with hot and cold food items.
• Serve food cafeteria style by placing uniform portions of food on customers'/patients' plates.
• Break down and clean assigned area when the meal is finished and return food to the kitchen.
• Set up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary.
• Return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room after meals.
• Deliver meal trays to the patients' bedsides.
• Brew coffee according to the number of servings required.
• Assemble and toss fresh fruit or green salads in quantity using prepared dressings and portions into standard serving sizes.
• Apportion other food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and containers.
• Make cold sandwiches using prepared ingredients and pack box lunches.
• Work in one or more functional areas of the kitchen such as food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage and receiving, and the serving line.
• Sort, wash, peel and cut fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Operate and break down equipment.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas.
• Separate food waste and trash from dishes, glasses and silverware in the dish washing area.
• Remove inspection doors, strainer pans, screens and spray arms for preventive maintenance of the dish machine.
• Unload delivery trucks.
• Store sanitized dishes, glasses and silverware.
• Scrape, soak, scour, and scrub the heavier cooking utensils.
• Move heavy garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-time, schedule will be based on facility needs.

Requirements:

• 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. 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.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: Food Service Workers perform work requiring light to moderate physical effort. They 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. They are subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. They frequently lift or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others.

The work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. The work area is well-lighted but usually noisy from food service activities, and there is danger of slipping on floors where food or beverages have been dropped. Food service workers are regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp cutting blades, hot working surfaces, and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units.