Food Service Worker
Veterans Health Administration
Posted: April 14, 2026 (0 days ago)
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Veterans Health Administration
Department of Veterans Affairs
This job is for a supervisor in a food service role at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where you'll oversee daily operations like preparing and serving meals to patients, managing storage, and ensuring everything is clean and safe.
It involves hands-on work in a kitchen setting, including setting up stations and helping with special diets.
A good fit would be someone with a couple of years leading food service teams, who is comfortable with physical tasks and has a strong sense of organization and safety.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the Nutrition and Food Service (NFS) Workforce Modernization Plan, one of the largest workforce innovation efforts undertaken by VHA to articulate future states of NFS operations across enterprise, identifies key priorities for NFS to modernize workforce, recognize unique positions within VHA to support Veterans NFS and established consistency of functions and streamlines hiring process.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/20/2026.
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.
Preferred Experience: 2 years of supervisor experience in food service Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: Wage Grade 3 Food Service Workers perform work requiring light to moderate physical effort.
They may be required to perform heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies.
They are subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. May be required to work on ladders and use powered cleaning equipment.
They frequently lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others. Major Duties:
Wage Grade 3 Food Service Workers independently perform duties that require proficiency in special procedures.
They require a broad knowledge of service operations, such as food and beverage preparation, modified diets, computer proficiency, dishwashing, dry and refrigerated storage, and safety and sanitation.
Wage Grade 3 workers can do all the duties of a lower grade worker, but also may help with making patient selections, thickening items and checking trays.
MAJOR DUTIES: Set up assigned station with the correct supplies and food items. Serve food cafeteria style by placing uniform portions of food on customer/patient/resident plates.
Break down and clean the station when assigned. Set up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary.
Return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room. Deliver meal trays to the patients' bedsides and report the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian.
Prepare beverages according to the number of servings required. Prepare fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts in specified quantities.
Sort, wash, peel and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment.
Provide assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes.
Prepare uncooked food items, such as sandwich spread and salad dressings. Operate and break down and clean all equipment assigned to food service and related areas.
Portion food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware. Prepare boxed/to go meals. Select and place correct items on patient trays.
Read and interpret a regular or modified menu, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections.
Identify obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu. Decide what food items to serve for the most common diets.
Perform heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas. Separate food waste, trash/recyclables from dishes, glasses and silverware. Unload food/tray delivery carts.
Store sanitized dishes, glasses and silverware. Scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils. Move garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area.
Other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the Medical Center.
Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday, 5:00am - 1:30pm, 10:30am - 7:00pm, Rotating days including weekends; Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency needs.
Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker Supervisor/PD99816S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
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