Food Service Worker

Veterans Health Administration; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 28,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration at the Syracuse VA Medical Center is hiring a full-time Food Service Worker to support the Nutrition & Food Service team. Typical shift is 11:00am–7:30pm with rotating days.

You will set up stations, portion meals, prepare patient trays, and assist cooks in routine tasks. You will read regular or modified menus, prepare fresh fruit and simple cold dishes, deliver trays, and help with dining room setup.

Qualifications

• Applicants will be rated using the OPM Federal Wage System qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Sets up and breaks down assigned station with the correct supplies and food items.
• Portions food items into standard serving sizes using proper utensils and dishware.
• Selects and places correct items on patient trays and assists with diet considerations.
• Delivers meal trays to patients' bedsides and reports feedback to supervisor or dietitian.
• Assists cooks in food preparation, weighs/measures ingredients per recipes.
• Reads menus and diet cards to prepare appropriate meals and simple cold dishes.
• Performs cleaning tasks in kitchen areas and related spaces.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job description

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

This Food Service Worker position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Medical Center in Syracuse VA Medical Center.

Key Responsibilities

Major duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to): Sets up and breaks down assigned station with the correct supplies and food items. Portions food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware. Selects and places correct items on patient trays. Decides what food items to serve for the most common diets. Identifies obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu.

Sets up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary. Delivers meal trays to the patients' bedsides; reporting the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian. Provides assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes.

Prepares fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts. Reads and interprets regular or modified menus, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections. Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas. Performing other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Typically 11:00am - 730pm, Rotating Days Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/PD99920S Physical Requirements: Work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. Performs work requiring light to moderate physical.

May be required to perform heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. Subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success.

Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, "Ability to perform the work of the position without more than normal supervision." Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements.

While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $20.39 – $23.78/hr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-10-22.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.