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Food Service Worker

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VISN 19: Rocky Mountain Network: Oklahoma City VA Health Care System
This job announcement has closed

Summary


The Full Time Food Service worker position(s) are located within the Nutrition and Food Service at the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City. The position(s) contribute to the preparation of meal items, the assembly of meal trays and the delivery of meals to Veterans.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/07/2025 to 07/14/2025
Salary
$18.76 to - $21.87 per hour
Pay scale & grade
WG 2
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Oklahoma City, OK
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBSU-12754965-25-JN
Control number
840142500

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Duties

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This Food Service Worker position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System.

Wage Grade 2 Food Service Workers complete assignments individually or as part of a team under the general supervision of the immediate supervisor. Questions on unusual or difficult tasks are referred to a higher-grade worker or supervisor for clarification and advice. Work at this level is evaluated in terms of accuracy and timely completion of assignments.

  • The work involving diet tray assembly is usually performed as a team with the worker being expected to know the commonly used diets in order to place items on a tray. Completed diet trays are checked by a higher-level food service worker.
  • Work involving actual food preparation is accomplished under the guidance of a cook who provides technical instruction and checks work in progress and upon completion for conformance with acceptable food service practices.
  • Food service workers know daily routines and work from guides such as diet cards, tray tickets, menus, portion control charts, standardized recipes, and employee assignment sheets.

Duties and Skills include, but are not limited to:
  • Set up assigned station with the correct supplies and food items.
  • Serve food cafeteria style by placing uniform portions of food on customers'/patients'/residents' plates.
  • Break down and clean the station when assigned.
  • 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.
  • Deliver meal trays to the patients' bedsides and report the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian.
  • Prepare beverages according to the number of servings required.
  • Prepare fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts in specified quantities.
  • Sort, wash, peel and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment.
  • Assist cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes.
  • Prepare uncooked food items, such as sandwich spread and salad dressings.
  • Operate and break down and clean all equipment assigned to food service and related areas.
  • Portion food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware.
  • Prepare boxed/to go meals.
  • Select and place correct items on patient trays.
  • Read and interpret a regular or modified menu, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections.
  • Identify obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu.
  • Decide what food items to serve for the most common diets.
  • Perform heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas.
  • Separate food waste, trash/recyclables from dishes, glasses and silverware.
  • Unload food/tray delivery carts.
  • Store sanitized dishes, glasses and silverware.
  • Scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils.
  • Move garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area.
  • Other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the Medical Center.
Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, "Reliability and Dependability". Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements.

While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

Work Schedule: Varies to include Weekends and Holidays
Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/PD99920A
Physical Requirements: Wage Grade 2 Food Service Workers perform work requiring light to moderate physical effort. Work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. 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. Subject to continuous standing and walking, frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lifts or moves objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others.

Requirements

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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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/14/2025.

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, 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:

  • Reliability and Dependability
  • Work Practices
  • Special Aptitude - Food Service Work
  • Handle Weights and Loads
  • Follow Directions
  • Dexterity and Safety

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

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.

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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Financial disclosure not required.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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