Cook

Role Overview

This position is for a cook responsible for high-volume food preparation, service setup, and menu planning in a structured government environment. The role involves preparing meals for different service formats, handling equipment and serving areas, and creating production plans based on the number of people to be served.

Key Duties

• Prepare food using the full spectrum of quantity-cooking methods, ranging from standard recipes to more advanced or newly developed dishes.
• Take charge of preparation work for assigned service periods and events, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktail-style functions, stand-up receptions, and formal meals.
• Arrange workstations, dining areas, and alternate service locations with the necessary place settings, cutlery, condiments, and related service supplies.
• Develop menus, production schedules, and recipes, while calculating the quantities of ingredients needed for the expected number of diners and recipe specifications.

Employment Conditions

• Appointment may depend on a suitability or fitness review based on a completed background investigation.
• Male candidates born after December 31, 1959 must complete the Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service registration.
• Proof of U.S. citizenship is required.
• Applicants must meet Exceptional Family Member Program requirements under DoD Instruction 1315.19.
• Applicants must satisfy the requirements of DoDI 1400.25 V1230 related to civilian personnel management in foreign areas and return rights.
• Direct deposit of pay is mandatory.
• U.S. citizens overseas who are ordinarily resident are not eligible under the Status of Forces Agreement.
• The role requires the ability to obtain and keep eligibility for a Secret-level security clearance, including a background investigation and credit check.
• A pre-appointment physical exam is required, along with meeting the established medical standards.
• Shift work or rotating schedules are required.
• The job involves lifting up to 30 lbs regularly and occasionally lifting more than 50 lbs.
• The incumbent must obtain and maintain a US Army Europe and Africa driver’s license and be insurable for travel to other duty locations.
• A valid Government Motor Vehicle Operator’s license must be obtained and maintained.
• This is a time-limited opportunity for current permanent Army employees, with possible extension and potential conversion to permanent status without further competition.
• Current permanent federal employees applying for a term appointment will be converted to a term appointment without statutory return rights to a permanent position.

Qualifications

Applicants must belong to one of the eligible federal employment authority categories for consideration. Experience may come from paid work, unpaid assignments, volunteer service, or community, philanthropic, professional, religious, spiritual, or student activities. There is no fixed training length or minimum years of experience required, but applicants must show enough knowledge, skill, and ability in their application to perform the job with only normal supervision.

The minimum qualification standard is the ability to perform cook duties without more than normal supervision. Failure to demonstrate this screen-out ability will result in an ineligible rating.

Work Requirements

• Ability to perform the work independently with normal supervision.
• Skill in using and maintaining tools and equipment.
• Strong attention to dexterity and safety.
• Sound work practices.
• Frequent lifting or moving of items up to 30 lbs, constant standing, bending, and walking, and occasional lifting over 50 lbs.
• When driving, moderate physical effort is needed for frequent handling of items up to 20 lbs and occasional handling of items above 50 lbs while loading and unloading.
• Kitchen environments can be hot, noisy, and may include steam, fumes, odors, wet floors, burns, and knife or machine-related injuries.
• Temperature extremes may occur when moving between warm kitchens and walk-in refrigerators.
• Driving duties may involve outdoor work, adverse weather, and the risk of accidents, bruises, cuts, and broken bones.
• The workplace is inside a high-security underground facility.
• During national emergencies and exercises, overnight stays and multi-day duty may be required.
• The position follows shift work arrangements.

Education

No formal education requirement applies to this role.

Additional Information

• A one-year probationary period is required, during which continued employment is reviewed based on fitness, performance, conduct, agency needs, organizational goals, and public interest.
• Continued employment requires written certification that the job serves the public interest.
• Locality pay is not available in the overseas area.
• If an employee brings an eligible child to the overseas location, DoD education and special education support may apply under the relevant DoDEA and DoD regulations.
• If an employee brings an infant or toddler up to age 3 to the overseas location, early intervention services may be provided if eligibility conditions are met.
• Employees and family members needing medical or dental care overseas are responsible for finding and paying for that care; access to military facilities is space-available and reimbursable only.
• Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants in overseas positions, but not as an incentive for transfers between overseas posts.
• Selected candidates may be eligible for foreign area benefits such as living quarters allowance, government quarters, and home leave, subject to applicable regulations at hire.
• Local laws or international agreements in the foreign country may affect the ability of a same-sex spouse or domestic partner to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits.
• This is an Installations Career Field position.
• Defense National Relocation Program support is not authorized.
• Multiple vacancies may be filled from this announcement.
• Most civilian relocation entitlements are taxable under IRS rules.
• Payment of permanent change of station costs is authorized under the Joint Travel Regulations.
• Relocation, recruitment, advanced rate in-hire, or advanced leave accrual incentives may be authorized if they are in the organization’s interest.
• Candidates are expected to support government efficiency, respect the principles of the American republic, and uphold the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.