The current opportunities are extra help/temporary.  Extra help/temporary employees are limited to working a maximum of 1,000 hours per fiscal year (July - June).  This classification is eligible to transition to permanent employment if permanent positions become available.

This Cook position is located in the Probation Department's Central Kitchen which is open seven days per week.  Individuals may be required to work varied hours and days, including holidays, nights, and weekends.  Additionally, the working conditions are frequently hot and humid.  The Central Kitchen is a locked facility located adjacent to the main jail and, in addition to County staff, utilizes trustee (inmate) labor.

Prior to employment as a Cook, the successful candidate(s) must pass a background investigation and pre-employment medical examination.  Candidates will be notified as to when these examination processes will take place.

To prepare, bake, and cook food; to assist in the serving of meals; and to help oversee trustees.

This is the journey level in the Cook series. Incumbents initially perform the more routine duties assigned to positions in this series and work under close supervision.  However, as experience is gained, incumbents are expected to perform the full range of duties as assigned with increasing independence.

This class is distinguished from the Senior Cook in that the latter acts in a lead capacity and assists supervisory and management staff in operating the kitchens on a daily basis.

Receives general supervision from the Food Services Supervisor and/or the Food Services Manager; may receive technical and functional supervision from the Senior Cook.

May exercise technical and functional supervision over trustees.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prepare, cook, and serve a variety of food entrees for large numbers of people, including vegetables, meats, salads, soups and other foods and beverages.
• Bake bread, cakes and pastries; assist in supervising trustees in the routine elements of food preparation and see that meals are served on time.
• Record and report special diet orders.
• Receive and follow instructions on the amount of food to be prepared.
• Perform and help supervise cleaning of kitchen and kitchen equipment.
• Prepare basic oral and written reports including status of food inventories or suggested changes in operations to improve efficiency.
• Instruct and supervise trustees assigned to kitchen and dining room duties as they assist full-time staff in preparing and serving food and in the cleaning of the facility after a meal.
• Drive delivery van to deliver food to satellite facilities and serve food when necessary.

Experience: One year of responsible experience in preparing, cooking, and serving meals in large quantities in a restaurant or institution.

Training: Formal or informal education or training which ensures the ability to read and write at a level necessary for successful job performance.

Knowledge of:

Written Examination (100%) 

Before date of hire, applicant must pass a medical examination which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation, sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. Citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  Applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background check, be bonded, and/or be fingerprinted.

All new permanent employees, with the exception of law enforcement and management, shall be required to join the employee organization or pay an 'Agency Fee' as a condition of employment.

The eligible list(s) resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification.  For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County now offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please visit our website at:
http://www.jobaps.com/placer/sup/abfreenames.asp.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County.  Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active, nondiscrimination program.  It is stated in the policy of Placer County that harassment is prohibited and that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment.  All recruitment, hiring placement, transfer and promotion will be based on the qualification of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of sex, sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, religious creed, national origin, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (cancer), age (over 40), or marital status.  Please contact the Personnel Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process.  Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.

Benefits apply to permanent (non-extra help/temporary) employees only.

Bereavement Leave
May use up to five days of sick leave.

First cut-off for applications is 09/18/2009.
Written examination for these applicants is tentatively scheduled for 10/15/2009.

Second cut-off for applications is 10/30/2009.
Written examination for these applicants is tentatively scheduled for 11/19/2009.

Final cut-off for applications is 12/31/2009.
Final examination for these applicants is tentatively scheduled for 01/21/2010.