Food Services Specialist

** Food Services Specialist**

**Department of Veterans Affairs**

** Manchester VAMC**

**Location**

1 vacancy in the following location:

** Relocation expenses reimbursed**

No

** Telework eligible**

Yes as determined by agency policy

**Duties**

** Summary**

This Food Services Specialist position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service at the Manchester VAMC. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

**Responsibilities**

This position is responsible for culinary technical standards by ensuring that efficient, safe, and high-quality food services are provided to the Veteran, both inpatient and outpatient.

Major duties and responsibilities will include:

+ Serves as the technical and quality expert of culinary standards

+ Analyzes and performs quality improvement tasks for menus and food service arrangements

+ Oversees and continually improves food service operations

+ Identifies and resolves difficult issues and challenges in a complex environment

+ Applies advanced culinary techniques which minimize the use of restricted nutrients to develop refined and patient pleasing flavors, textures and presentations

+ Plans future advancement in food services, new techniques, procurement and production needs

+ Identifies culinary and food service developmental and training needs of employees

+ Develops culinary performance, technical standards, and quality improvement initiatives for food service operations

+ Ensures compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points principles, Joint Commission Standards and food safety principles

+ Provides budgetary input on food service operations and culinary program advancements

+ Serves as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for food service, food distribution, and purchase and maintenance of equipment contracts and oversees subsistence/supply ordering

+ Conducts studies and investigations to include problem analysis and development of logical/documented recommendations on corrective actions

+ Performing related duties as required. **Work Schedule:** Monday - Friday; 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

**Compressed/Flexible:** Not Authorized

**Telework:** Authorized

+ Telework Ad-Hoc work can be performed on an as needed basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space (example: home) **Virtual:** Not Authorized

**Position Description/PD#: Food Services Specialist/**PD99847-S

**Relocation or Travel Incentives:** Not Authorized

**Recruitment Incentives:** Not Authorized

**Permanent Change of Station (PCS):** Not Authorized

**Financial Disclosure Report:** Not required **Travel Required**

Not required

** Supervisory status**

No

** Promotion Potential**

11

**Requirements**

** Conditions of Employment**

+ You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

+ Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

+ You may be required to serve a probationary period.

+ Subject to background/security investigation.

+ Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process and complete additional forms to proceed with employment process. ** Qualifications**

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/30/2021.

**Time-In-Grade Requirement**: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

**Note:** Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

+ **Specialized Experience:** At least one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: overseeing food service operations; identifying and resolving issues; knowledge of culinary procedures; maintaining inventory; knowledge of food service production equipment; assisting with inspecting food for quality; using a computer to perform administrative duties; and providing courteous and efficient customer service. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. **OR,**

+ **Education:** Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field. This education must include courses that demonstrate the knowledges, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. **OR,**

+ **Combination:** Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond a master's degree) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

+ Administration and Management

+ Food Service

+ Quality Management

+ Technical Competence

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.*

**Physical Demands and Work Environment:** Requires physical exertion when lifting, bending, pushing, frequent walking, standing, stooping, reaching, stretching; and also when unpacking and/or tagging supplies and equipment and carrying moderately heavy items such as personal computers, equipment, subsistence, supplies and chemical supplies. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts associated with production areas, such as exposure to heat, odors or fumes used in work processes; works near operating kitchen equipment (knives, slicers, ovens, stoves, kettles, etc.). Some sit