About this role
Job SummaryThis Food Service Worker position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE OPEN CONTIUNALLY UNTIL 09/30/26. Resumes will be referred to hiring managers as a vacancy occurs. You will receive an email notification when your resume has been referred for a vacancy.
QualificationsTo 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. 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. Specialized experience: Related experience includes, performing food preparation duties in a healthcare facility, hotel, college cafeteria, military base, or similar quantity food service institution; serving correct portion sizes; setting up stations on a tray line; delivering and collecting trays; cleaning and sanitizing kitchen equipment required in quantity food preparation and service; knowledge of regular and modified diets; read and understand diet cards, understand food terminology, measurements and serving information in standardized recipes for all menus 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: 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.
Major DutiesMajor duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to): Sets up and breaks down assigned station with the correct supplies and food items; Portions food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware Selects and places correct items on patient trays Decides what food items to serve for the most common diets Identifies obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu Sets up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary; Delivers meal trays to the patients' bedsides; reporting the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian; Provides assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes; Prepares fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts; Reads and interprets regular or modified menus, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas; Performing other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time (Tour will be determined by supervisor based on organizational needs) Shifts are variable / 7 days a week to include holidays and weekends. Schedule may change based on the needs of the services. Tours may include the following: 5:30am-2:00pm, 7:00am-3:30pm, 8:00am-4:30pm, 9:00am-6:30pm, 11am-7:30pm, 11:30am-8:00pm with rotating weekends and holidays. Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/99920-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Physical Requirements: Incumbent is subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 pounds. Incumbent 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. May also be required to work on ladders and use powered cleaning equipment. Incumbent is required to push AMDS food cart which weighs approximately 500 pounds, and will require 12-pounds of force to initiate movement and also 7-pounds of force to keep the food cart rolling. 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. Incumbent is regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp cutting blades, hot working surfaces, and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units.RequirementsU.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 Must pass a pre-employment physical examination. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.