Cook

About the role

These Cook positions are in the Nutrition and Food Service at VA Boston Healthcare System located at the Brockton and West Roxbury Massachusetts campuses. These positions are full time at 40 hours per week.

What you will do

• The cook is responsible for providing high-quality meals and nutritional care to Veteran patients at the Medical Center.
• Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets.
• Cleans and sanitizes work areas, and performs deep cleaning tasks when needed.
• Independently prepares and cooks a variety of items including regular and therapeutic diet (diabetic, low sodium, low protein, gluten free, etc.) entrees and dessert items.
• Uses a variety of methods to prepare meats, fish, and poultry including broiling, roasting, baking, frying, boiling, steaming, stewing, braising, and grilling.
• Follows menus, production sheets, and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed.
• Operates industrial dish machine.
• Operates a variety of kitchen equipment and follows appropriate safety procedures.
• Disassembles and reassembles equipment for cleaning.
• Makes a variety of desserts such as cobblers, brownies, cookies, and pastries.
• 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.
• Follows sanitary food handling procedures.
• Work Schedule: Full-Time West Roxbury: Two-week rotating schedule (weeks start on Sunday): Working days: 10:45 AM - 7:15 PM (Week 1: Sunday & Thursday off.
• Week 2: Monday & Tuesday off).
• Brockton: Sunday - Thursday 10:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Thursday - Monday 5:00 a.m. -1 :30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized.
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.
• Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99818S Telework/Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).
• 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.
• Notifications: These positions are in the Competitive Service.
• Current Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).
• The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
• In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• These positions are covered by Federal Wage System Special Wage Rates for the Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) Wage Area.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 31, 2026.
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be October 8th, 2026.
• After this date, qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.
• Eligible applications received after the initial cut-off date will be referred as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.
• This announcement may close at any time once all positions are filled.

Requirements

• 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 Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 (***).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• 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.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

How you will be evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Documents you must provide

• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.
• Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
• You will not be contacted for additional information.
• Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
• Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply.
• Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
• Applications are accepted online.
• Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

What to expect next

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

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 ***

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service.

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.