Cook

Cook

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Round Hill, Virginia

Salary Range: $22.02 - $25.66 Per Hour

Job Summary: This position is located at the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Logistics Division, Hospitality Services Branch. MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, D.C. The ideal candidate for this position will be able to work in all areas of food service including sanitation, time management, use different cooking methods and procedures with ability to follow and adjust recipes as needed.

Major Duties:

• All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays. All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground. What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will work as a Cook responsible for providing support to the overall operation of the MWEOC dining facilities. You will review menus, worksheets, recipes and determine quantities of items for number of persons to be served. Typical assignments include: Performing quantity cooking, including adjusting recipes for amounts, ingredient substitution and seasoning; reconstituting dehydrated food as necessary. Performing short order cooking of breakfast and lunch items including eggs, meats, and sandwiches, including handling multiple orders at once. Operating, cleaning, and maintaining standard food service equipment, including ovens, grills, fryers, slicers and various small appliances. Instructing lower graded cooks and food service workers in all aspects of cooking, equipment operations, cleaning and safety and sanitation procedures. Operating a register system, instructing others in the operation and handling of money procedures, such as making change and closing operations at the end of a shift. Note: Hygiene/Grooming Standard - Cooks must maintain a high degree of personal hygiene to include clean body, hair and clothes. Hair must be covered by a hat or hairnet. Facial hair should be limited to: Sideburns are permitted if they don't flair out, grow no longer than the lower portion of the opening for the ear, and are trimmed horizontally and not at an angle. The only facial hair allowed are mustaches that are kept closely trimmed, doesn't grow over the upper lip, and doesn't go any wider than your mouth, (unless completely covered by beard and/or mustache guard.) What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

Qualifications: The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standard. Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must meet any screen-out element listed, and show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time. Working Conditions: Work is performed in kitchen areas which are well-lighted, but often hot and steamy. The incumbent is exposed to steam, fumes, and odors from cooking and to extreme temperature changes when entering refrigeration units. There are dangers from slipping on wet floors, cuts from knives, and burns from hot steam, food, stoves, grease, and water. Physical Effort: Work requires continual standing and walking, frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling and bending. Frequently lifts objects weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted and may lift heavier items with the assistance of lifting devices and other workers. This position does require a preemployment physical 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, religious, 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: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here. Current or former FEMA Reservists/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE): To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above by 11:59pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting. Follow the directions to register or login if you have an existing account. Submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. Upon completion of your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, Human Resources will not be able to view it in your application. Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). Incentives may be offered depending on funding availability, the difficulty of positions to fill, and qualifications of applicants. If you have questions about this announcement or the application process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in the Agency Contact Information prior to the close of the announcement. An employee, job applicant, or an individual acting on behalf of the employee, may request a Reasonable Accommodation by emailing fema-ocr-ra@fema.dhs.gov with "time sensitive" in the subject line. To review the common definitions of terms found in this announcement, please visit the DHS Common Definitions page. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Review your job status on your Application Dashboard. Your application dashboard is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-22