Probation Cook

Full Job Description

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible forPublic Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

As part of the team working in Juvenile Hall, Cooks are responsible for the preparation and cooking of large quantities of food along with the service of one or more daily meals. Additionally, Cooks develop new recipes and meal plans and may prepare special meals for medically restricted diets and special menus for other Probation Department catering needs.

As a Cook, you will also:

• Adjust recipes based on the population size
• Operate kitchen equipment such as steam kettles, ovens, broilers, grills, and meat slicers
• Adjust thermostat controls to regulate the temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters
• Order, receive, and organize food and kitchen supplies
• Provide training to kitchen staff
• Be responsible for dishwashing and the general cleanliness of the kitchen
• Serve meals and refreshments for catered functions
• Deliver food to Juvenile Hall housing units

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Extensive knowledge of and experience cooking with industrial-sized equipment in large facilities
• Experience preparing meals for special dietary needs
• Knowledge of how to store and receive food and kitchen supplies
• Some experience in maintaining inventories and related records
• Completion of courses in institutional food preparation
• A Food Safety Professional's Certificate
• The ability to maintain professionalism and effective working relationships

Note: As a condition of employment, individuals are required to undergo and maintain a Probation Department background clearance, wear a uniform, and must be willing to work all shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

This recruitment is currently being conducted to fill a Probation Cook position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this position is Cook.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU)and our Employee Benefits Directory.

Requirements

Experience: Any combination of experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, two years of recent experience in the preparation and cooking of a variety of foods in a large-scale institutional or commercial setting, such as a medium sized hospital or detention facility, would provide such opportunity.

Education: The ability to speak, read and write English and make simple arithmetical calculations commensurate with the knowledge and abilities listed. Successful completion of special courses in institutional food preparation is highly desirable.

The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Qualifications

Working knowledge of: the methods, procedures and equipment involved in the large scale preparation of foods; the health and safety hazards in institutional food preparation; the necessary safety precautions.

Some knowledge of: the basic principles and practices of dietetics and nutrition.

Ability to: follow detailed oral and written instructions; prepare and cook food in large quantities; prepare modified diet items; supervise the work of assigned staff and inmates; establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, inmates or wards, supervisors and staff of other departments; work early morning shifts, evenings, holidays and weekends; work for long periods of time while standing and under conditions of high temperature; lift, push and pull heavy equipment and supplies; make simple arithmetical calculations; operate kitchen equipment.

Additional Information

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria.

Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications.

Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments.

This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process.

Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race.

This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire.

Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination.

Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

It is the policy of law enforcement and legal offices and departments, in the County of Sonoma, that candidates complete a thorough background investigation process prior to employment.

This policy is imperative to keep the department’s employees and the public safe and to maintain high standards in the law enforcement community.

Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation.

Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

The background investigation will include a thorough assessment of a candidate’s personal, employment, educational, criminal, and credit history.

The investigation may include but is not necessarily limited to: the use of prescription and/or other drugs, reports from former employers, friends, family members, educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, credit reports, court reports, public records search, and/or other relevant sources.

Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process.

Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment.

All candidates will be required to take a pre-employment medical examination.

The pre-employment medical examination will include drug testing as part of the medical examination for all applicants and for all current employees who are offered employment with the Offices/Departments.

Additionally, candidates may be required to take a pre-employment psychological examination.

The results of these examinations and the background investigation shall be confidential and shall not be available to the candidate for review.

Failure to pass the background investigation will eliminate a candidate from the employment process.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

Issues that arise during the investigation process will be assessed, and judgment and discretion will be used to determine the employability of the candidate.

Where there is evidence of a candidate’s past use of controlled substances, many factors shall be used to determine the employability of the individual such as a pattern of use, kind of drug used, circumstances of the start of the drug use, treatment, behavior, and attitude since discontinuance, etc.

Please note that a history of using controlled substances does not result in automatic disqualification from the selection process.

Prior to disqualifying any candidate whose profile falls within the provisions of the policy, the candidate shall be given the opportunity to present any and all evidence of mitigating facts that the candidate feels should be considered by the hiring authority.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.

All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement.

Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging.

We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.

The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: KK

HR Technician: PPB