Food Service Specialist

J.D. McCarty Center is a pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Norman, OK, serving children with disabilities from birth to 21 years of age. Our 36-bed facility provides 30-day evaluations and ongoing treatment through a multidisciplinary team, including nursing, therapy, nutritional services, and education via an on-site school staffed by Norman Public Schools.

About the role

The Food Service Specialist supports the dietary department to meet the nutritional needs of our pediatric patients. This role requires dependability, reliability, punctuality, and a passion for helping others. The ideal candidate will adhere to kitchen dress and hygiene protocols and communicate effectively with the dietary team.

Responsibilities

• Operate the dish machine according to proper procedures.
• Maintain cleanliness in the dish room and kitchen areas, including hand-washing items as needed.
• Complete daily temperature and sanitizer logs for all dish room areas.
• Assist with food preparation in main, school, and catering kitchens, including plating, chopping, pureeing, ensuring proper food temperatures, portion control, and preparing specialized diets.
• Prepare patient trays with appropriate adaptive equipment and modified/special diets according to production schedules and menus.
• Ensure modified meals are prepared simultaneously with regular meals and maintain high quality in taste and texture.
• Perform cleaning tasks as assigned, including sweeping, mopping, sanitizing surfaces, and maintaining a clean work area.
• Organize, transport, and stock deliveries for the school and hospital units.
• Transport meals to hospital units and the school, including loading and delivering breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Assist with school meal set-up and serving.
• Manage the POS collection system during employee lunch periods, entering food items correctly and deducting credits from meal accounts.
• Notify supervisors of POS system issues or employee concerns and contact the Finance Office for support as needed.
• Demonstrate safety awareness, including proper lifting techniques, equipment use, and adherence to kitchen safety and sanitation policies.
• Follow infection control policies, including proper hand-washing and personal hygiene.
• Assist with inventory and delivery systems, including inspecting items, documenting acceptance, and rotating stock using the FIFO method.
• Prepare and deliver patients' snacks to school and hospital units as directed.
• Assist with QAPI data collection, including inventory, food cost, meal counts, dating, and temperature logs.
• Attend scheduled departmental meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Ability to follow proper dress and hygiene protocols for a kitchen environment.
• Effective communication with the dietary team.
• Adherence to policies for lifting, pushing, or pulling up to 25 pounds; assistance required for weights over 25 pounds.

Pay

$16.00 per hour.

Benefits

• Health insurance benefit allowance, including dental, life, and disability insurance.
• Optional insurance: vision, supplemental life, dependent health, and dependent life.
• Flexible spending plans.
• Defined contribution retirement plan.
• 3 weeks of annual leave and 3 weeks of sick leave per year.
• 11 paid holidays per year.
• Longevity bonus beginning in the 2nd year of employment.
• Employee Assistance Program for confidential personal and family support.
• Additional benefits: state employee discounts, continuing education opportunities, supplemental insurance plans, and credit union access.

Tobacco and vape-free facility.