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.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
ALL US CITIZENS
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Duties
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: Part-Time - 5:15 am - 1:45 pm every other weekend and relief 2 days during the week (shifts may be 5:00 am - 1:30 pm or 11:30 am - 8:00 pm); includes holidays as it falls on the schedule.
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
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
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
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
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.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
Required Documents
Documents Required:
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Performance Appraisal
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/31/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12822491.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.
Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.
Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume:
- Prioritize most relevant and recent experience
- Use concise, results focused language
- Align language from the job announcement
- Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies
- Remove outdated or unrelated experience
- Use the USAJOBS resume builder
Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at:
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click
Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.