Cook 2 (Lead Cook)

OSU Oregon State University; Corvallis (OR); On-site; USD 27,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal perquisites

Job summary

Oregon State University, through University Housing & Dining Services (UHDS), seeks multiple Cook 2 (Lead Cook) positions in Corvallis to coordinate food production, support special diets, and train staff. These are full-time, 12-month roles that emphasize safety, quality, and customer service in a busy campus dining operation.

LEAD COOK responsibilities include supervising kitchen activities, maintaining sanitation, and ensuring consistent meal quality across service areas, with a focus on

Qualifications

• Two years cooking experience in an institution or commercial setting.
• Associate's degree in related field accepted.
• Valid Food Handler’s certificate within 30 days of employment.
• Ability to lead and train staff.

Responsibilities

• Maintains standards of safety and sanitation
• Food preparation
• Cost awareness
• Safety and sanitation
• Leadwork Collaboration
• Customer service
• Miscellaneous

Skills

Two years cooking experience

Experience with kitchen equipment

Food safety knowledge

Ability to follow instructions

Team collaboration

Food and beverage preparation

Education

Associate's degree in Food Service Management or related field

Job description

Department

University Housing & Dining Services

Job Summary

University Housing and Dining Services is seeking to hire multiple Cook 2 positions (Lead Cooks). These are full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, classified positions. The purpose of the Cook 2 position is to ensure that guests of UHDS dining operations receive an appealing, nutritious and satisfying meal. This position has responsibility for coordinating the food production for a designated area, preparing foods for special diets, maintaining adequate product, and training students and staff on cooking methods and procedures. This is done by providing leadership and role-modeling on how to maintain high quality food and how to prepare menu items using solid cooking methods with a focus on safety and sanitation. This position is required to support the established professional standards, policies and procedures of the work unit, department, and university. UHDS’s vision is to engage our students, enrich their lives and help them thrive. UHDS strives to provide students, faculty, staff, and guests with safe, economical, convenient, and comfortable living and dining options, and the department works to maintain the highest educational and service standards. On the Corvallis campus, UHDS houses 5,000 students and offers a variety of living and dining options in residence halls, student and family apartments, three dining centers, catering, a market, retail restaurants and coffee shop locations across campus. UHDS is an auxiliary enterprise and is funded solely by customers who use our services – we receive no State or General fund allocation. UHDS fosters an open, respectful and enjoyable living, learning and working environment. UHDS staff members are expected to demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to providing excellent customer service. Creating inclusive, welcoming, and safe environments are core values of University Housing and Dining Services. The UHDS Culinary Team is committed to providing an inspirational culinary experience through a food-first philosophy: integrating nutrition, quality, and passion in food. This team is dedicated to sustainable practices, food innovation, and supportive work environments. Food is a voice to expressing these values along with educating students, staff, guests, and the OSU community. This position is eligible for meal perquisites per the SEIU contract. This position will adhere to all OSU and UHDS policies and procedures. Learn more about University Housing & Dining Services: https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/

Key Responsibilities

• Maintains standards of safety and sanitation
• Food preparation
• Cost awareness
• Safety and sanitation
• Leadwork Collaboration
• Customer service
• Miscellaneous

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Two years of cooking experience in an institution or commercial firm serving complete meals; OR an Associate's degree in Food Service Management, Foods and Hospitality Service, or a directly-related field.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Experience working with kitchen equipment including, but not limited to, grills, fryers, knives, slicing machines, mixers, ovens, and steam kettles.
• Knowledge of large quantity food preparation.
• Experience in safe and sanitary methods for food and beverage preparing, handling, and storage.
• Demonstrated ability to follow instructions and stay organized.
• Demonstrated passion for food and the food service industry.
• Ability to respond positively to changing work demands.
• Ability to work cooperatively with a variety of individuals.
• Professional and effective oral and non-verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to work shift on feet and perform frequent arm movements.
• Demonstrable ability to work with and/or lead diverse groups of employees.
• Requires a valid Food Handler’s certificate within 30 days of employment.
• Must maintain certification throughout service with UHDS.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a lead worker, including training and directing employees.
• Experience in a retail food environment.
• Experience providing good customer service.
• Demonstrated knowledge of food allergens and special dietary needs.
• Experience in exhibition cooking.
• Experience in various global cuisines.
• Experience working in a team-based environment.

Working Conditions and Schedule

• This a physically active job in a kitchen environment.
• Incumbent will experience long periods of standing on a hard floor; working with commercial kitchen institutional equipment; and fluctuations in work flow, temperature, and noise level.
• Must be able to work shift on your feet and perform frequent arm movements.
• The employee in this position will often be required to lift or carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds, and push or pull carts weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Will require work in areas that prepare and handle raw meat, as well as most common food allergens, including gluten.
• OSU is a 100% tobacco-free campus.

Work Schedule: Flexibility in work shifts is necessary. Shift and/or work assignment may be changed based on operational needs. Because we are responsible to provide all meals for the student residents, we are a seven‑day-a‑week operation, and early morning, evening, weekend, and holiday work may be required. Good attendance is crucial for stability and day‑to‑day business needs. Must follow attendance schedule and break schedules, and must be on time and in uniform when shift begins. This position is deemed essential; and the incumbent is expected to report to work during inclement weather, emergency and other University work curtailments or closures. This position will potentially serve as a back‑up person for the delivery of food and beverage items into access‑secured residence halls, where there may be minors present; and /or this position may need to regularly access storage areas in a residence hall without an escort. These security‑sensitive tasks will require passing a criminal history check (CHC).

Salary and Dates

Salary Range: $19.36 - $28.75

Anticipated Start Date: 2026-10-09

Equal Opportunity and Diversity

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring.

We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system.

If this position has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job‑related pre‑employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details.

If you have questions or concerns about the pre‑employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [e-mail].

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

Brand and Community

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job! Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem‑solvers and change‑makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep‑rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

Facts

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide

For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport. Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state‑of‑the‑art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package

Oregon State University offers a comprehensive benefits package with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Basic Life
• OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and critical care insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life.
• Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.

Equal Opportunity and Discrimination Policy

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants. At Oregon State University, no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University. If requested, OSU will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants in order to provide access to the application, interviewing and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application to receive an accommodation. Please request any reasonable accommodations for disability as early as possible in the application and search process. Requests may be directed to the hiring unit, or to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at [phone]. See Request an Accommodation Procedures for the OSU policy. OSU’s Title IX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA). For information on OSU’s nondiscrimination policy and procedures, including how to report information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX, contact EOA by phone: [phone], email: [e-mail], mail/location: 330 Snell Hall, Corvallis OR 97331, or visit EOA’s website: eoa.oregonstate.edu.

Know Your Rights

Oregon Family Leave Act: Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act: