Correctional Food Service Coordinator
State of Iowa
Posted: February 17, 2026 (1 day ago)
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State of Iowa
252 Corrections - Fort Dodge Correctional Facility
Location
Iowa, 50319
Salary
$23.75 - $34.91
per hour
Type
Closes
This job involves managing food services in a prison, including ordering supplies, preparing and serving meals to inmates, and delivering food while ensuring everything is safe and sanitary.
It also requires supervising and training inmates who work in the kitchen to help them build positive skills and behaviors.
A good fit would be someone with experience in food handling or cooking who is patient, organized, and comfortable working in a correctional environment.
Food Service Operations
*Ingredient Procurement-
Order, receive and issue all Food Service supplies to provide adequate inventories for meals to be produced.
Work and communicate with internal and external clients in a polite, and courteous way.
Supervise and train Incarcerated Individuals assigned to this area.
Utilize first in/ first out rotation practices for safe product usage.
Update Food Service Icon to keep financial and inventory levels accurate.
Weigh out and measure all ingredients needed for each meal daily.
*Meal Preparation –
Prepare raw ingredients by slicing, grating, cutting or chopping to add to future recipes.
Follow recipes to assemble and mix food items into nutritionally adequate and appealing menu items.
Supervise and train Incarcerated Individuals assigned to this area.
Pan up foods as to effectively measure servings or amounts produced to prevent shortages and/or waste.
Follow all local and state food codes.
Maintain sanitation by using soap and water on all dishes and food contact surfaces.
*Meal Serving –
Take accurate inventories prior to beginning service.
Assemble medically prescribed diets carefully following menus and portion sizes.
Place proper portions of foods onto each tray so that it is not only appealing but eliminates mess and cross contamination.
Serve each general population tray as to be identical in food and portion sizes.
Supervise and train Incarcerated Individuals assigned to this area.
Follow all local and state food codes.
Maintain sanitation by using soap and water on all dishes and food contact surfaces.
*Food Delivery –
Deliver food and/or trays and supplies to alternate serving locations, maintaining the sanitation and temperature of all food items.
All carts are to remain in good repair and sanitary.
Follow all traffic laws when utilizing motorized vehicles for delivery.
Supervise and train Incarcerated Individuals assigned to this area.
Follow all local and state food codes.
Direct Incarcerated Individual Supervision -
*Provide direct supervision to incarcerated individuals in the Food Service department.
Train each incarcerated individual in their current work assignment to maintain proper food production and serving procedures.
Patrol Food Services regularly, supervising incarcerated individual behavior, implementing behavior management plans; asking questions and answering questions.
*Evaluate incarcerated individual work performance and behavior, provide instruction with follow up details.
*With a balanced approach instruct incarcerated individuals in rules, policy, procedures, expectations and assist incarcerated individuals in the development of attitudes and skills necessary for successful adaptation to life within an institution and pro-social lifestyle.
Monitor progress of incarcerated individuals by focusing on behavior and rewarding positive behavior.
*Role model pro-social behaviors that convey dignity and respect for others and acknowledges that incarcerated individuals can change their lives be development of skills and adoption of pro-social attitudes and behaviors.
*Document maintenance needs and forward work orders to maintenance department
Departmental Security -
*Use knowledge of security to ensure a safe environment for incarcerated individuals and staff through knowledge of fire drills disaster plans and disturbance control procedures.
*Account for and appropriately lock all controlled items including knives and other Food Service tools.
*Account for all keys and locks following institutional procedures.
*Complete random shakedowns of Food Service areas for contraband. Utilize random searches as not to display a pattern. Document shakedowns.
*Pat Down Incarcerated individuals as they report for work and they leave to further support safety and sanitation in the food service department and the rest of the institution.
*Be alert to any security problems that might occur in food services.
*Execute self-defense techniques such as disengagements and escape that may require twisting, lifting, pulling, running and crawling.
Food Safety and Sanitation - *Maintain sanitary methods and personal hygiene standards applicable to institutional food service operations and capable of sharing these standards with incarcerated individuals.
*Document all food temperatures (received and produced), cooler and freezer temperatures, sanitizer levels and dish machine temperatures to ensure that food is being received, stored, produced and served in a safe and sanitary method.
*Through proper cleaning and sanitizing, ensure that all equipment and food contact surfaces are constantly safe for food service use.
Document any irregularities.
Training -
*Keep informed of all Food Service and institutional communications by email and as posted by the Food Service Director.
E-Verify and Right to WorkThe State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States.
The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization.
For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.
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