Cook Job in Vicksburg, MS

Vacancy No. CERG258723644971D Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $25.07 to $29.23 Grade 8 to 8
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/26/2025 Close Date 7/7/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Vicksburg, MS


Summary

About the Position: As a Cook you will be assigned to accomplish a variety of meal preparation duties subject to periodic inspections for compliance with instructions, established work methods, accepted cooking practices, and sanitation requirements.

NOTE: This is a seasonal position. You will be put in a nonduty status when work is unavailable.

Duties

  • Reviewing menus, work sheets and recipes, and determining type and quantities of items required for number of persons to be served and recipe requirements.
  • Cutting and trimming to cooking size, and weighing or measuring portions and ingredients for regular or modified diets in accordance with menus, recipes, or other instructions.
  • Preparing raw and cooked salads, dressings, gelatin, custards, and other simple desserts.
  • Preparing and cooking sauces, gravies, soups, stews, casserole dishes, hot cereals, pancakes and French toast.
  • Cleaning and maintaining in sanitary condition, all equipment and work areas.
  • Sweeping and mopping floors, washing utensils, tables and refrigerators, and cleaning ovens and ranges.
  • Operating in accordance with safety regulations, various mixers, grinders, steam kettles, electric urns, and other powered and mechanical kitchen equipment used in the preparation and service of food.
  • Maintaining proper food safety for sanitation standards.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Successfully complete and pass a pre-employment physical.
  • This position may require incumbent to wear a uniform.
  • This position may require shift work.
  • This position requires a pre-employment drug screen, and inclusion in the TDP which requires random drug screening.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision.

Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of a(n) Cook~ without more than normal supervision which includes distinguishing between regular diet and modified diet foods required for morning, noon, evening, late meals and/or special feedings; practicing established guidelines for monitoring food temperatures and steam pressures; preparing various meal items including breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrée items; preparing a number of complex menu items for one meal; and directing, coordinating and monitoring work of lower grade cooks - Failure to meet this Screen Out Element will result in an ineligible rating.

  • Ability To Do The Work Of The position Without More Than Normal Supervision
  • Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specification, etc.
  • Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
  • Dexterity and Safety
  • Knowledge of Materials
  • Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)
  • Work Practices
  • PHYSICAL EFFORT: Cooks at this grade level perform work requiring continual standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing and pulling, and bending. They frequently lift or move objects weighing up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds) unassisted, and occasionally lift or move objects weighing over 18 kilograms (40 pounds) with the assistance of lifting devices or other workers.
  • WORKING CONDITIONS: The work is performed in kitchen areas which are well lighted but are often hot and noisy. The cooks are exposed to steam, fumes, and odors from cooking and to extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units. There is danger of slipping on wet floors that have been recently mopped or where food has been spilled. They are subject to possible cuts from knives and burns from steam, hot foods, stoves, and hot grease and water.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a(n) 29 Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • This position is Non-Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act
  • Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.
  • This position is covered by the AFGE bargaining unit.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

  • Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.
You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/07/2025 to receive consideration

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12754971).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RG-W2R904 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-VICKSBURG
DO NOT MAIL
Vicksburg, MS 39183
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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