The Cook position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service (N&FS) at the Captain James A. Lovell Health Care Center Veterans Hospital in North Chicago, IL. N&FS is responsible for providing meals and nutritional care to Veterans, Active Duty, and Dependents patients at the Medical Center. The primary purpose of the Cook, WG-4, is to prepare nutritious, high-quality meals for service. The position has a sequence of steps that require attention to work operations, sanitation, and safety. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/25/2024. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). 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: 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. 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. RESPONSIBILITY Completes assignments under the general supervision of the established team leadership. Is expected to complete daily assignments and work from oral instructions and written guides such as menus, recipes, and production worksheets. Technical instruction on food preparation tasks may come from a higher-grade cook, supervisor or dietitian. Detailed instructions are given only for special projects or when learning new or more difficult work. Products are evaluated by the supervisor or higher-grade cook for taste, texture, appearance, and overall adherence to recipe and time schedules. Provides quality meals to patients that are visually appealing, fresh, safe, and of proper temperature. Quality meal service has an impact on patient satisfaction and overall hospital experience. Food taste, temperature and appearance affect patients' food consumption and nutritional therapy, which have an effect on well­ being and health. Adhere to recipes and worksheets to ensure patient satisfaction and prevent patient safety incident. Receives written and/or oral instructions from immediate supervisor. Works as scheduled; performs assignments, organizes work, and knows steps to complete assignments to meet deadlines. Exercises good judgment. Knows when to seek assistance or guidance. Responsible for employing knowledge gained in training and classes to the daily work. Follows food safety and hazard analysis critical control (HACCP) principles in preparation and handling of food products to prevent bacterial contamination and food-borne illness. Policies and procedures for proper food handling, infection control, and safety are derived from Joint Commission standards, VHA standards, OSHA, Serv Safe and the FDA/State Specific Food Code. Failure to practice safe food handling techniques and/or to adhere to sanitation policy can result in food borne illness. Follows equipment operation procedures, patient identification procedures, and safety practices to prevent accidents and injury to self, patients and coworkers. Cooperates with supervisors and co-workers and displays patience, understanding, and a customer service attitude during daily contact with patients and staff. Interacts with other cooks and ingredient control staff to cooperatively and efficiently produce meals and accomplish routine cleaning. Maintains clean, orderly work areas; sanitizes per established procedures; uses PPEs provided. Maintains good personal hygiene, clean and neat appearance, and observes approved dress code. Attends education and training sessions. Complies with mandatory training requirements. Maintains personal computer access. Utilizes computer as required. Is compliant with computer security mandates; protects patient privacy. PHYSICAL EFFORT Is subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted and occasionally lifts or moves objects weighing more than 40 lbs. with assistance of a lifting device or other workers. Manipulates cumbersome, heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on casters or operating heavy equipment. Possesses manual dexterity to operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades safely. Utilizes eye-hand coordination and the ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment. WORKING CONDITIONS Performs work in areas of extremes of temperature. 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. Is exposed to steam, cooking odors, and noise from equipment and conversation. Is subject to hazards of cuts, bruises, strains, burns and falls in kitchen environment. Uses strong cleaning and sanitizing solutions which may frequently 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 physical 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. CUSTOMER SERVICE Meets customer's needs while supporting the VA missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately. AUTOMATED DATA PROCESSING (ADP) SECURITY Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy. Protects the data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion. Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc., as set out in the computer access agreement that the employee signs. ["This position is located at the Captain James A. Lovell Health Care Center Veterans Hospital in North Chicago, IL and is organizationally aligned under Nutrition and Food Services. The purpose of the position is to provide food service assistance in the Nutrition and Food Services Department. Major duties and responsibilities include: Food Preparation Performs a full range of simple cooking which entails the preparation and cooking of meals that require little or no processing. Follows menus, production sheets and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed. Performs full range of simple cooking by preparing and cooking items requiring little or no processing such as hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies. Grills eggs, hamburgers, 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, 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 by hand or machine. Assembles and mixes salad ingredients and dessert items including gelatin molds and fruit crisps. Washes, peels, chops, grinds, pares, cuts, slices, dices, purees, dredges, flours, breads items. Weighs, measures, assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets. Combines ingredients according to precisely written recipes to produce quality food items, minimizing preparation time and food waste. Pans foods for bulk re-thermalization according to recipe guidelines and production guidelines. Covers, dates, and stores leftovers according to established local policies/procedures. Operates a variety of kitchen equipment: oven, combination oven/steamer, grill, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, blender, food processor, scale; follows safety procedures regarding the operation of equipment. Food Safety/Sanitation Follows sanitary food handling procedures; covers, labels and dates food items; utilize or discard ingredients by expiration date. Disassembles and assembles component parts and accessories for cleaning. Cleans, stores and maintains all kitchen utensils, equipment and work areas practicing a \"clean as you go\" concept. Cleans and sanitizes assigned work areas: worktables, sinks, blast chillers, racks, carts. Achieves certification in ServSafe and can apply knowledge of food safety, food temperatures, etc. Operates dish machine; checks detergent level and water temperature before washing and sanitizing cook's equipment. Checks equipment to make sure it is free of food residue and soap. Cleans ovens, oven/steamer, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, grill daily. Collects trash, sorts and prepares items for recycling. Cleans floors, walls, shelves as assigned. Performs deep cleaning tasks such as cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers. May operate powered floor cleaning or steam equipment for deep cleaning. Food Storage Rotates and stores perishable and non-perishable items according to service policies. Removes outdated or damaged goods from stock. Labels all food items with contents and dates per labeling guidelines. Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients accurately and according to standardized recipes or requisitions. Monitor and maintain proper spacing of food products from floor, ceiling and shelving to ensure adequate air flow and spacing of products for optimal food safety. Monitor for signs of pest notifying the appropriate individual as determined by your local policy. Maintain accurate food inventories. Maintains strict security of all areas. Work Schedule: 11:00am-7:30pm with rotating days off and holidays. Position Description Title/PD#: Cook / PD #99819-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized"]

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