Work Schedule: Monday 1:30 pm - 7:30 pm; Friday 5:30 am - 10:00 am; Saturday 6:30 am - 10:00 am; Sunday 1:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Rate of Pay: $17.75

JOB SUMMARY: The Cook is responsible for preparing and serving attractive, nutritionally balanced meals for resident in New Life Center's (NLC) Emergency Shelter program while upholding the mission, vision and values of NLC. This position is responsible for maintaining high standards of quality food production and portion control using standard recipes and for appropriate quantities of food needed to meet menu requirements. In addition, the Cook will possess an Arizona Food Handlers Card, following all guidelines set forth by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This position also performs a variety of maintenance tasks such as sweeping, light mopping and maintaining refrigerators, freezers and storerooms in a neat and clean order. In the absence of the Operations Manager, this position may be responsible for food preparation and service.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

_ Supervision:_ None

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

** Food Preparation and Service**

1. Under the direction of the Operations Manager, plans, prepares and serves attractive and nutritionally balanced meals for up to 104 residents of NLC's Emergency Shelter program.
2. Checks weekly menus and ensures product availability.
3. Modify/substitute items if necessary and in accordance with CACFP meal guidelines.
4. Washes dishes, cleans kitchen and dining area, including sweeping and mopping. Ensures the kitchen and dining areas are clean to the highest standards after every meal.
5. Performs weekly inventory of kitchen food and supplies. Keeps pantry, kitchen and walk-in fully stocked and ensures proper storage of food supplies.
6. At the direction of the Operations Manager, accommodates cultural and medical dietary needs/restrictions for residents.
7. Assists in training and mentoring new kitchen staff and volunteers.
8. Works closely with Family Advocate staff to ensure safe food handling and service to residents and that dining space guidelines are being adhered to.
9. Fully understands and completes all duties and reporting responsibilities required by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), including food preparation, serving meals, sanitation/cleaning and when necessary, monitoring participants and taking meal counts.
10. Responsible for upkeep of health code procedures and practices by cleaning and sanitizing kitchen and dining area.
11. Remains current on safe food handling procedures and certification.

** Agency Management**

1. Participate as an active team member of the kitchen team.
2. Share in responsibility for cleanliness and appearance of the entire campus.
3. Communicate emergencies, resident concerns and organizational needs to the designated on-call staff member or appropriate member of the leadership team.
4. Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse group of staff and residents who have exposure to trauma.
5. Knowledge of basic mathematics, including addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

** Other**

1. Help in building a culture of cooperation and collaboration among Agency staff, interns and volunteers by modeling respectful behavior.
2. Support and adhere to all policies regarding participant and program confidentiality.
3. Actively contribute to the Agency's trauma informed practice and philosophy.
4. Participate in scheduled Agency-wide meetings and events as assigned.
5. Perform other duties as needed.

COMPETENCIES

1. Demonstrated ability to remain calm in crisis situations, work independently and cooperatively, recognize personal limitations and relate positively and with empathy to all persons regardless of age, race, creed, gender identity or sexual orientation.
2. Maintain professional conduct consistent with ethical professional practice and the policies and procedures of the agency.
3. Maintain a professional demeanor and positive working relationships with internal and external team members, stakeholders and community and business partners.
4. Strong interpersonal, oral and written communications skills.
5. Regular and consistent attendance.
6. Strong attention to detail and ability to follow through with tasks.
7. Effective time management and ability to prioritize and reprioritize tasks in a fast-moving environment.
8. Working knowledge of computers and software including Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.