Dietary & Food Service Aide I - (Per diem)

Tufts Medicine; Melrose (MA); Hybrid; USD 23,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

403(b) retirement plan with company

Free on-campus parking

Job summary

Tufts Medicine's MelroseWakefield Hospital is seeking a per diem Dietary & Food Services support role within the Food and Nutrition Department. You will assist with menu planning, meal preparation, and tray delivery across locations, while ensuring safety standards and patient satisfaction.

The role emphasizes supporting daily operations in a hands-on environment, coordinating with supervisors, and participating in training to maintain high service quality.

Qualifications

• HAACP knowledge and sanitary food handling principles.
• Strong organizational and communication skills in English.
• Ability to perform cash handling and multitask in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Maintains accurate diet order information to ensure appropriate meals.
• Assists patients with menu selection and modified diets.
• Delivers trays to patients and handles tray pickup.
• Follows PPE procedures and maintains kitchen sanitation.
• Oversees inventory, catering setup, and staff training as needed.

Skills

HAACP knowledge

Organizational skills

Cash handling

Multitasking

Interpersonal skills

Ability to work under pressure

Reading recipes

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

ServSafe certification within 6 months

Job description

MelroseWakefield Hospital, part of the Tufts Medicine system, has been offering the highest quality and accessible healthcare to the local community for over 130 years.

With two hospital campuses, Level III Trauma Center, Level III Special Care Nursery, Breast Health Center, Cardiovascular Center and over 20 locations and 50 specialties, MelroseWakefield Hospital offers many opportunities to grow your career.

Job Profile Summary

This role focuses on activities related to the support services functions, such as dietary and food services, environmental services, general facilities, repair and maintenance, parking, sterilization and transportation to ensure all required support activities are completed in a timely manner and meet the organization's quality standards and expectations. In addition, this role focuses on performing the following Dietary & Food Services duties: Prepares and serves meals based on general or special diets. Responsibilities also include operating and maintaining kitchens, cafeterias, and counters across entity locations. Manages food inventories, schedules vendor deliveries, food preparation, and menu planning while adhering to regulatory guidelines. An organizational related support or service (administrative or clerical) role or a role that focuses on support of daily business activities (e.g., technical, clinical, non-clinical) operating in a “hands on” environment. The majority of time is spent in the delivery of support services or activities, typically under supervision. A specialist level role that requires very advanced knowledge of operational procedures and tools obtained through extensive work experience and may require vocational or technical education. Works under limited supervision for non-routine situations and may be responsible for leading daily operations, and trains, delegates and reviews the work of lower level employees, and problems are typically difficult and non-routine but not complex.

Job Overview

This position serves as a point of contact for daily operations of the department and for events such as caterings, reservations, bookings and other services pertaining to the Food and Nutrition Department. If you are passionate about providing care in your local community, come join our team! Under general supervision, this position works in any location where food is prepared including retail, patient and catering operations. This position is involved in all aspects of food services including assisting with menu selection, food preparation, food delivery, kitchen cleanliness and sanitation. This experienced staff member is trained in multiple areas in the department and may assist with training and informal supervision of less experienced staff.

Hours

Per diem, varied 1st and 2nd shifts Rotating Weekends and holidays are required

Location

MelroseWakefield Hospital - Dietary Call Center

What We Offer

• Competitive salaries
• 403(b) retirement plan with company match
• Free on-campus parking

Minimum Qualifications

• 1. Food service experience.
• 2. ServSafe certification within 6 months of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• 1. High School diploma or equivalent.
• 2. One (1) year in hospital food services.

Duties and Responsibilities

• 1. Maintains and communicates accurate and updated diet order information through the system to ensure patients receive appropriate meals, nourishments and commercial enteral products in accordance with current diet order.
• 2. Elicits patient information regarding food preferences, intolerances, likes and dislikes. Alerts the Clinical Dietitian to any actual or potential nutritional problems of patients.
• 3. Assists patients with menu selection and writes and corrects regular and as assigned modified diets for patients. Responsible for maintaining high level of accuracy and appropriateness of patient trays.
• 4. Delivers trays to patients, picks up trays from patients.
• 5. Follows all precautions on patient units by donning and doffing PPE appropriately. Performs hand hygiene according to standards.
• 6. Other duties as directed by department leadership
• 7. Prepares and places orders for food, paper, chemicals, office supplies or equipment.
• 8. Completes on-line ordering as required.
• 9. Receives and coordinates special functions and participates in the set up.
• 10 Works with managers and supervises staff for menu and clean up.
• 11. Prepares weekly, monthly reports to include patient meals, floor stock, catering, free meals, requisitions and inventory.
• 12. Oversees food service staff. Provides training assistance, leadership and direction.
• 13. Completes performance evaluations, test tray audits and sanitation audits as assigned.
• 14. Serves as a point of contact for department and food related services.
• 15. Communicates, written or verbal, to internal and external client, customers and patients.
• 16. May assist in the coordination of projects, including preparing and maintaining project plans, budgets and staffing requirements.
• 17. Tracks progress and identifies resources, obstacles and opportunities.
• 18. Complies with all safety and risk management policies and procedures.
• 19. Participates in regular safety meetings, safety trainings, and hazard assessment.
• 20. Reports all accidents and injuries in a timely manner.
• 21. Attends training programs (classroom and virtual).
• 22. Cooperatively adapts to changes, especially crisis situations, such as shorthanded staff, mechanical failures and disasters.

Physical Requirements

• 1. Standing and walking for 95% of the day, straining and lifting approximately 30lbs.
• 2. Requires manual dexterity to handle money, work cash register and preparing food.
• 3. Exposure to infectious diseases due to interacting with sick patients.
• 4. Possible exposure hazardous chemicals due to cleaning and sanitation.
• 5. Exposure to heat, cold, steam, chemicals and hot equipment.
• 6. Frequent exposure to garbage and trash.

Skills & Abilities

• 1. Understanding of HAACP food safety standards including sanitary food handling principles to minimize potential for food borne illness.
• 2. Good organizational and communication skills, both verbal and written in English. Good computer skills.
• 3. Ability to perform cash handling.
• 4. Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous tasks and prioritize according to established criteria and protocols.
• 5. Excellent interpersonal skills are required and changing deadlines and the adaptability to change required.
• 6. Ability to work under pressure and changing deadlines and the adaptability to change required.
• 7. Ability to read recipes, interpret ingredient measurements, and determine appropriate amounts for ordering.

About MelroseWakefield Hospital

MelroseWakefield Hospital and Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford are two campuses with one community in mind: the people of north suburban Boston. MelroseWakefield Hospital and Lawrence Memorial Hospital are distinguished by the range of high-quality clinical care and services. Our teams welcome everyone with hospitality and humanity. We focus on reducing health disparities through 40+ local health programs across a system of hospitals, urgent care locations, outpatient services, and community physicians. At Tufts Medicine, we want every individual to feel valued for the skills and experience they bring. Our compensation philosophy is designed to offer fair, competitive pay that attracts, retains, and motivates highly talented individuals, while rewarding the important work you do every day. The base pay ranges reflect the minimum qualifications for the role. Individual offers are determined using a comprehensive approach that considers relevant experience, certificates, education, skills, and internal equity to ensure compensation is fair, consistent, and aligned with our business goals.

Pay Range

$17.00 - $19.09 based on full-time equivalent