Summary This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki Medical Center, and is organizationally aligned under the Nutrition and Food Division / Food Production Unit. The purpose of the position is to perform work involved in the preparation of a variety of menu items for hospital patients, orders, receives, stores and issues food items in accordance with department procedures, work all room service stations following modified diet restrictions, and keeps all work areas clean and sanitary. Responsibilities A Full-Time WG6 Cook is assigned as a food service/food production lead in the Hospital Food Production Unit, Frozen Food and Ingredient Rooms of Nutrition and Food Services located in the Clement J. Zablocki VAMC in Milwaukee, WI. Cook performs a full range of cooking tasks including tasks pertaining to food preparation with a variety of menu items including regular and special diet entrees, food service and sanitation, and Frozen Food and Ingredient Control which includes ingredient issue (order, receipt, storage and issue of subsistence), inventory control (security, perpetual and physical inventory); and infection/sanitation control of general work area. Cook acts as a lead to the Ingredient Control Room (ICR) staff; assures work is completed in a timely manner and in accordance with all policies, procedures and regulations and leads three or more workers to effectively carry out daily responsibilities. Duties Include: -Preparing and cooking items such as: meatloaf, French toast, pancakes, turkey tetrazzini, cereal; bacon and sausage; eggs, vegetables; pureed meats and vegetables; meats and entrees, stir-fry's, potatoes; potato substitutes; tube feedings, supplemental feedings, shakes, and thickened liquids by following standardized recipes, gelatin,etc. -Records data for quality control monitors such as food temperatures, overage/shortages, and disposition of food. -Provides suggestions for adaptations of standardized recipes to account for different techniques and cooking temperatures. -Assists with issue of all ICR/FFICR items to food service and food production preparation areas and all items needed by satellite units are placed in appropriately marked transport equipment for scheduled deliveries and that all supplies for therapeutic or recreational outings are set up and placed in designated refrigerator. -Assists supervisor in verifying items and quantity against the purchase order for compliance to specifications, volume and condition. -Checks items and quantities ordered on Production Summary, Meal Distribution Report, and/or Meal Service Summary before processing to assure that items are ordered as indicated on entrée pattern, production sheets and menu and that quantity are within estimates planned to meet requirements according to current census. -Keeps an accurate perpetual inventory.-Helps maintain control of a monthly subsistence valued at $85,000. -Maintains refrigerators/freezers and all equipment in the Ingredient Control Room areas in a clean, sanitary and orderly manner. -Checks all NFS refrigerators/freezers for products recalled in Hazard Alerts, reports quantities on hand to supervisor and quarantines the items until disposition. -Evaluates a variety of raw and cooked food items to decide if they are fresh and whether cooked foods are done by their appearance, consistency, texture, and temperature. -Read and understand written instructions in forms of food labels, standardized recipes, computerized food production sheets as well as metric conversion tables. -Measure and calculate food items and portions and know various tables of weights and measures. Work Schedule: Every other weekend and some holidays; relief position that may work 5 am - 1:30 pm or 11:30 am - 8 pm Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99818S Physical Requirements: Is subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted and occasionally lifts or moves objects weighing more than 40 lbs. with assistance of a lifting device or other workers. Manipulates cumbersome, heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on casters or operating heavy equipment. Possesses manual dexterity to operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades safely. Utilizes eye-hand coordination and the ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. Education Additional Information 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. A supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. 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.