Job Posting Title

Food Service Specialist

Agency

650 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Supervisory Organization

Clinton Veterans Home

Job Posting End Date (Continuous if Blank)

May 17, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

May 01, 2025

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

$14.68/hr

Job Description

Basic Purpose

Positions in this job family are involved in handling, preparing, cooking and serving food for regular, modified and special diets at a state hospital, school, facility or institution. This includes maintaining clean and sanitary work, preparation and serving areas.

Typical Functions

• Prepares foods, salads, and desserts; cooks or bakes a variety of items.
• Supplies unit with meat, fish or fowl as ordered; cuts and prepares meat, poultry or fish.
• Cleans and prepares foods using tools such as knives, slicers and peelers and equipment such as ovens and steamers; follows written diet orders.
• Operates dishwasher; gathers, cleans, stacks and hand washes or scours pots, pans, dishes, silverware and other cooking and baking utensils.
• Removes refuse from kitchen area; sweeps mops and scrubs kitchen, dining and storage areas.
• Labels, loads and delivers food carts or trays; picks up trays after use.
• Defrosts and cleans refrigerators, walk-in coolers and related equipment.
• Operates state-owned cars, vans, and/or other motorized transportation.

Level Descriptor

This is the leadership level of the job family, where employees are assigned responsibility for performing highly skilled work involving the operation of an institutional food service unit and supervising other Food Service Specialists in the requisition, storage, cooking, baking, and serving of food, the preparation of meats, poultry and fish for cooking, and the inspection and maintenance of sanitary kitchen and work areas. Under the direction of a Nutrition Therapist, some positions at this level will do nutritional assessments, ongoing charting in dietary progress notes and communicate with nursing and nutrition departments on patient concerns.

Education and Experience

Education and Experience requirements at this level consist of two years of experience in a commercial or institutional food service or an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting one year of vocational or technical school training in food preparation for the required experience.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of basic food preparation techniques; of food service operations; of proper sanitation practices; of basic mathematics; of ingredients used in baking and cooking; of food storage, preparation and cooking; of recipe usage; of standard weights and measures used in cooking and calculating and measuring ingredients; of operation of kitchen equipment and utensils; of practices and problems of meat storage and preparation; of modern methods and materials used in large scale baking, cooking, and meat cutting; of cutting, mixing and adding ingredients to all types of meat; of sanitary and health standards; of supervisory principles and practices; and of basic nutrition. Ability is required to carry out routine tasks to completion; to follow oral and written instructions; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; to prepare and cook foods, baked goods and meat; to follow written and oral instructions; to direct the work of food service personnel; to use a variety of tools and knives to cut or slice meat and other foods; to control food stock; and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Special Requirements

Some positions may require possession of a valid Oklahoma Driver’s License at time of appointment. ## Some positions within the Office of Juvenile Affairs may require applicants to be able to lift 25 pounds. ## Upon a conditional offer of employment, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services applicants must submit to a physical examination and shall meet the physical examination requirements of lifting/carrying 50 pounds occasionally, 20 pounds frequently and able to push and pull a maximum force of 50 pounds.Some agencies may have determined positions in this job family to be safety sensitive as defined by 63 O.S. § 427.8.