Food Service Lead (LTNP)

Corrections; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 31,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Hiland Mountain Correctional Center (HMCC) in Eagle River, Alaska, is seeking a Food Service Lead to supervise around 30 inmate staff in a high-volume kitchen producing about 1,200 meals daily. You will train inmates in food preparation, sanitation, and diet planning, and ensure quality, safety, and adherence to security procedures.

The role emphasizes leadership, menu and special-diet oversight, and coordination with kitchen operations to maintain efficient service in a correctional setting.

Qualifications

• Any combination of training and/or progressively responsible experience that provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform journey-level work in planning, preparing, and serving food and drink as well as directing and reviewing the tasks assigned to lower-level food service staff.

Responsibilities

• Supervise approximately 30 inmate food service workers at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in the main kitchen in preparation of approximately 1,200 meals per day.
• Train inmates in food preparation, cooking, baking, proper sanitation procedures, receiving, storing, and thawing foods
• Plan and supervise inmates in the preparation of special diets
• Monitor inmates serving meals to ensure quality, quantity, and portion control standards are met
• Comply with safety and security procedures such as inmate counts, inspections, and search of the kitchen, dining room, and storage rooms

Skills

Food Production

Food Service

Job description

Job Description

The Department of Corrections, Division of Institutions, is recruiting for a Food Service Lead position at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center (HMCC) located in Eagle River, Alaska.

Watch Alaska DOC's video here:

DOC 2026_45 sec

What You Will Be Doing:

• Supervise approximately 30 inmate food service workers at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in the main kitchen in preparation of approximately 1,200 meals per day
• Train inmates in food preparation, cooking, baking, proper sanitation procedures, receiving, storing, and thawing foods
• Plan and supervise inmates in the preparation of special diets
• Monitor inmates serving meals to ensure quality, quantity, and portion control standards are met
• Comply with safety and security procedures such as inmate counts, inspections, and search of the kitchen, dining room, and storage rooms

Our Mission, Values, and Culture:

The Alaska Department of Corrections enhances the safety of our communities. We provide secure confinement, reformative programs, and a process of supervised community reintegration.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

At Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, you will be joining an elite group of dedicated individuals who work as a team for the benefit of the facility and the department.

This position offers a valuable career opportunity within the Department of Corrections with ample opportunity to learn, grow, and advance.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position will be working with 30 female inmates preparing an average of 1,200 meals per day. The Food service will supervise all kitchen inmate workers, tasting food, prepare seasoning, and to ensure a good quality of meal is being served.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

• Food Production: Knowledge of planning, growing, and harvesting of food for consumption using appropriate equipment and techniques.
• Food Service: Knowledge of preparing and serving food for consumption.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and/or progressively responsible experience that provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform journey-level work in planning, preparing, and serving food and drink as well as directing and reviewing the tasks assigned to lower-level food service staff.

Essential Core Competencies:

Knowledge of food terminology, measuring devices, kitchen equipment, and serving information, and personal hygiene, general sanitation, and safe work standards to safely use and clean kitchen, food service equipment, and dining area.

Applicable skill in weighing, measuring, and assembling ingredients to prepare beverages and foods for cooking or serving, and serving beverages and foods in the proper portions, manner and sequence, and with proper table setting techniques.

The ability to communicate effectively with staff and customers, which may include the requirement to read, speak, write, and understand English, keep records and complete forms following procedures, recognize produce and food products which do or do not meet quality standards, meet quality/quantity control, safety, and sanitation standards, perform tasks in logical sequence, select guidelines, standards, or procedures appropriate to the task, do simple arithmetic calculations and record appropriately, assist in preparing foodstuffs which meet the standards of taste, temperature, appearance, texture, and diet requirements, if applicable to the work assignment, demonstrate a customer service orientation, and display sensitivity and interest in customer concerns, needs, and limitations, and adapt to changing conditions, schedules, or meal requirements on short notice.

Position-Specific Competencies:

The lead worker will be required to assign, monitor, train, and evaluate daily tasks, make decisions and set and balance priorities; coordinate tasks of others and work efficiently, ensure adherence to work schedules, quality standards, safety and security rules, give clear instructions, recommend appropriate solutions to difficult situations, and motivate others.

Additionally:

Applicable skill in preparing and modifying menus and recipes according to volume and dietary needs, or special requirements of emergency crews; and researching recipes and preparing complex foods and yeast pastries such baking and decorating layer cakes and preparing ethnic specialties for special occasions.

Ability to assign, monitor, train, and/or evaluate daily tasks of kitchen help which may include institutional residents and inmates or emergency fire fighter crew.

Other Information

Special Note:

Vacancies in this job class are filled through Union referral prior to posting on Workplace Alaska, except for promotions, demotions, transfers, and emergency appointments.

Some positions may be required to obtain or possess a Driver License, a background investigation and employment check, or other.

“Essential Core Competencies” are a common or typical set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that reflect successful performance of all levels of the career area. These are included in the position description and performance evaluation review process.

“Position-Specific Competencies” are a common or typical set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that reflect successful performance of the skill level and primary duties of the specific job.

“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, on-the-job, and military training), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree, apprenticeships, and trade or vocational schools) and short-duration (such as a seminar, professional development, and mircocredentials, i.e., computer science, human resources, project management) programs.

“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.

Additional Required Information

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

If selected for an interview, the applicant must provide the following:

List of 3 professional references that must include current or previous supervisors

Any certification that are pertinent to the job

RECRUITMENT DIFFICULTIES

Starting salary may be approved up to Step D - $27.31, if criteria are met.

LEGAL EMPLOYMENT

The State’s online recruitment system, Workplace Alaska, requires applicants to certify that they have a legal right to accept employment in the United States. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain the appropriate documentation to accept or continue legal employment. The State of Alaska does not function in the role as an employer sponsor.

EDUCATION

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the