Cook

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Chelsea (ME); On-site; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading federal agency as a Cook, where you'll prepare nutritious meals for veterans. This full-time position in the Togus VA Medical Center requires culinary skills and adherence to safety standards, offering a supportive work environment focused on quality care. Ideal candidates will be passionate about nutritious cooking and committed to serving the veteran community.

Qualifications

• Evidence of training or experience in cooking.
• Ability to prepare diverse dietary meals.
• Familiarity with kitchen safety and sanitation.

Responsibilities

• Independently prepares and cooks diversified meal items.
• Follows safety and sanitation procedures.
• Operates kitchen equipment and cleans work areas.

Skills

Cooking

Meal Preparation

Sanitation Procedures

Kitchen Equipment Operation

Job description

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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided pay range

This range is provided by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$23.28/hr - $27.18/hr

Summary

This Cook position is in the Nutrition Food Services Section at the Togus Maine VA Medical Center, located at the Togus location. This is a full time position at 40 hours a week.

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Duties

The purpose of the Cook position is to prepares nutritious, high qualify meals for service to the Veterans. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• 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.
• Follows menus, production sheets, and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed.
• Grills eggs, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; broils meats; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches.
• Uses a variety of methods to prepare meals, fish and poultry including broiling, roasting, baking, frying, boiling, steaming, stewing, braising and grilling.
• Slices meat items by hand, confirming to specific size requirements or weight specifications.
• Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, and muffin batters.
• 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.
• Plans cooking processes to produce meals on time and at the proper temperature which may require coordination of cooking several items with different cooking times.
• Makes a variety of desserts such as cobblers, brownies, cookies, and pastries.
• Weighs, measures and assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets.
• Operates a variety of kitchen equipment and follows appropriate safety procedures.
• Follows sanitary food handling procedures.
• Disassembles and reassembles equipment for cleaning.
• Cleans and sanitizes work areas and performs deep cleaning tasks when needed.
• Operates industrial dish machines.
• Performs other related duties.
  
  

Work Schedule: Full time, Schedule varies 5:30am-2:00pm or 11:00am-7:30pm with possible or probable weekend shifts.

Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized

Telework: Not authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99818-S

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Notifications:

• This position is in an AFGE Bargaining Unit
• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must 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. Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted.
  
  

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Must pass a pre-employment physical.
• 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.

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:

• 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.

Physical Effort: Subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted. Manipulates cumbersome and heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on caster, or operating heavy equipment. Manual dexterity needed to safely operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades. Hand-eye coordination and ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment.

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.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

THIS OPEN & CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT (OCA) ESTABLISHES A STANDING REGISTER OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, which closes on 9/30/2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 6/16/2025 with subsequent reviews every other week as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled. "What To Expect Next" area of the announcement which provides additional information on the referral process for this type of 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.

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 https://www.opm.gov/.

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.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Seniority level

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