Cook

About the role

This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iron Mountain, MI. The purpose of this position is to prepare nutritious high-quality meals for service to the Veterans.

What you will do

• 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 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.
• Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets.
• Operates a variety of kitchen equipment and follows appropriate safety procedures.
• Portion foods for distribution and meal service.
• Follows sanitary food handling procedures.
• Disassembles and reassembles equipment for cleaning.
• Cleans and sanitizes work areas; and performs deep cleaning tasks when needed.
• Cover, date, and store leftovers according to established procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Work Schedule: Rotating days and weekends, 11:00 am - 7:30 pm (including holidays).
• Additional information may be provided during the interview process.
• Additional shifts maybe available.
• Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD20047O Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: Work requires continuous standing, walking, and frequent stooping, reaching/reaching above shoulder, kneeling, pushing and bending.
• Employee frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted and occasionally lifts/moves objects weighing over 40 pounds with the assistance of other workers.
• He/she must be able to push heavy pieces of equipment, such as loaded carts, over long distances.
• He/she may also scour or scrub utensils, carts or other equipment, work on ladders while cleaning, and operate powered cleaning equipment.
• The work is performed in the kitchen areas which is often hot and noisy.
• Employee is exposed to fumes, odors from cooking and to extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in-in refrigeration or freezing units.
• There is danger of falling on wet or slippery floors that have been recently mopped or where food/beverages have been dropped.
• Food service employees are regularly exposed to possible cuts from sharp cutting blades and burns from steam, hot liquids (grease or water), hot foods, stoves, and hot working surfaces.
• May handle large and awkward equipment, utensils, or cartons.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation 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 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.
• 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.

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 Other (1) Professional Certification Resume 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. 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.