Sheriff's Jail Cook

About the role

The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office has immediate openings for experienced cooks.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and cooks food in accordance with the State of California requirements for prisoner and inmate caloric intake.
• Assists in serving of food at correctional facility(ies).
• Maintains cleanliness of working area and equipment.
• Directs and trains inmate workers in the preparation and serving of food.
• Performs related duties as required.

Requirements

• A minimum of two (2) years of experience as a cook in a kitchen preparing a variety of meals in large quantities.
• Necessary Special Requirement: Must possess or obtain and maintain a valid California driver license.
• Must be willing and able to work rotating 12-hour shifts, weekends and holidays.

Qualifications

• Desired: Experience as a cook in a correctional facility, military setting, hospital, university or other large-scale eatery.
• Knowledge, Skills And Abilities: Working knowledge of methods of preparing food in quantity and considerable variety, kitchen sanitation, and food storage. Working ability to plan and direct the work of others; write simple English sentences; understand and follow written and oral instructions and recipes; prepare tasty food, serve it attractively, and prepare large quantities of food required with a minimum of waste.

Benefits

Aside from the base salary range, an employee within this position will also be eligible for the following:

• Educational Incentive - An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate degree.
• Bilingual Incentive - Some positions may be eligible for bilingual incentive depending on the applicable memorandum of agreement and the needs of the department. To qualify for this incentive, incumbents in eligible positions must take and pass the applicable bilingual fluency examination.
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
• Health Plans - You are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans.
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Pre-tax benefit towards eligible medical, dental, and vision care expenses.
• Pension Plan - Participation in the County's defined benefit pension plan. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Holidays - 13 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.

Pay

PAYROLL TITLE: Jail Cook

Agency/Department: Sheriff's Office Jail Cook

This position is eligible for overtime compensation.

Schedule

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OPENING DATE: Thursday, January 1, 2026

CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applicants to meet business needs.