Food Services Officer (Cook)

Are you an experienced food services professional ready to apply your skills in a large volume cooking operation? If so, bring your culinary expertise to this position at the Niagara Detention Centre with the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

Please note:

• This position requires working with and providing direction to inmate helpers (and may be eligible for an Custodial Responsibility Allowance)
  About the job
• Prepare and assemble meals and restricted diets, ensuring proper handling and storage
• Assist in maintaining a daily food item inventory of supplies on hand and required for pre-determined menus
• Assists in the receipt and storage of replacement supplies, adhering to standard stock rotation principles
• Instruct and direct inmate helpers
• Ensure the safety and security of kitchen helpers and other staff
• Maintain proper sanitary conditions in the kitchen area

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• You have a Cook’s certificate issued by appropriate Ministry OR demonstrated equivalent acceptable experience in volume cooking

Food Services Knowledge and Skills

• You have knowledge of volume cooking/baking methods and safety principles
• You can prepare and assemble a high volume of meals
• You have knowledge and experience with various diets (i.e. lifestyle, medical, religious)
• You have knowledge of food safety practices
• You have knowledge of health and safety practices and standards
• You have demonstrated ability to understand and follow organizational policies/protocols in order to maintain safety and security of kitchen

Communication and Team Leadership Skills

• You can work with staff, inmate helpers, and service providers to address issues
• You have team leadership skills to provide instruction and direction to kitchen helpers and inmate helpers in cooking methods and kitchen cleanliness and appraise performance
• You have written communication skills to prepare various reports

Other Essential Skills

• You have analytical and problem-solving skills to identify, assess, and resolve equipment/appliance malfunctions, supply shortage, sanitation and hygiene control, and food service issues
• You have basic computer skills to input, track and record data

Don’t meet every qualification?
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario’s Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer  accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please  contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
accessibility
Anti-Racism Policy

What we offer
The Ontario Public Service is one of Ontario’s largest employers. Employees work for a wide range of ministries, with offices in more than 70 cities across the province. We offer:

• a career that can grow across ministries and job functions
• flexible learning and developmental opportunities, including education and mentorship programs
• many employee networks offering support for and education about underrepresented groups
• tailored work arrangements, including opportunities like flex hours, self-funded leave and more

Our comprehensive compensation and benefits package includes:

• a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement)
• group health, dental, life and disability benefits
• a range of vacation and leave options
• an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential counseling services