Food Service Worker

Overview

The Food Service Worker position is located within the Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD. This position independently performs duties that require proficiency in special procedures and broad knowledge of service operations, such as food and beverage preparation, modified diets, computer proficiency, dishwashing, dry and refrigerated storage, and safety and sanitation.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Opening Date:
January 12, 2026;
Closing Date:
March 31, 2026;
First Cut-Off Date:
January 15, 2026.

Note:

This is an Open Continuous Announcement. Qualified candidates will be referred as vacancies occur. Eligible applications received after January 15, 2026 will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until all positions are filled. Final disposition will be completed at the end of the open period stated in the 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 to perform the work. Evidence demonstrating knowledge, skills, and ability must be supported by detailed descriptions on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.

Screen-out Element: Your qualifications will be evaluated against the prescribed screen-out element (usually question 1 in the online questionnaire). Those who meet the minimum qualification survive for further rating; those who do not are eliminated.

Additional Information: The remaining Job Elements include dexterity and safety, interpret instructions and specifications, materials, technical practices, use and maintain tools and equipment, work practices, and supervision level. Responses must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience. Experience may include paid and unpaid work, volunteer service, and National Service programs. A full year of work is considered 35–40 hours per week;

part-time experience is credited proportionally. Volunteering can provide valuable training and experience applicable to paid employment.

Physical Requirements: Performs work requiring light to moderate physical effort. May require heavy work such as scouring and scrubbing large utensils and pushing heavy carts during unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. Subject to continuous standing and walking with frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally more than 40 pounds with assistance.

Work Environment: Work is performed in kitchen areas with heat and steam from cooking and dishwashing equipment. The area is well-lit but usually noisy from food service activities, and there is a risk of slipping on floors where food or beverages have been dropped. Workers are regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp blades, hot surfaces, and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units.

• 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.
• Decides what food items to serve for common diets when the diet card or tray ticket identifies only the kind of diet called for.
• Provides patients with basic information about modified diets and the nutrition services available.
• Identifies obvious discrepancies between prescribed diets and menu items.
• Follows directions in assembling, measuring, weighing, or mixing ingredients for basic formulas and supplemental feedings following standardized diet recipes and sanitary techniques.
• Delivers meal trays to patients’ bedsides and reports patient comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian.
• Assists cooks in the food preparation area, including assembling, labeling, and arranging completed recipe items for use by cooks.
• Prepares fresh fruit, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, and simple cold desserts, along with individual and bulk nourishments and supplement foods and beverages for patients.
• Makes final check of diet trays assembled by lower-grade workers for completeness and correct temperatures.
• Works in one or more kitchen areas such as food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage, receiving, and serving line.
• Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Work Schedule:
  
  Compressed tour to include weekends and holidays.
• Position Description Title/PD#:
  Food Service Worker/PD99836S.
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