Cook (37.5 Hour)

Join our team at CTECS as a skilled Cook in an educational setting. We're seeking an ambitious culinary professional for a rewarding role. As a float position, the individual hired for this position will work in the school cafeterias throughout the region as assigned. Bring your culinary expertise to multiple locations and enjoy a diverse work experience.

Position Highlights

• Full-time, 10-month/year position
• 1st Shift: Monday – Friday, 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Norwich, CT and Windham, CT
• Travel required to school sites
• Reliable transportation required
• Office/On-site

As a Cook with us, you will

• Prepare and cook large volumes of food in a school cafeteria setting, ensuring meals are nutritious and delicious.
• Independently manage tasks such as ordering supplies, maintaining inventory, and completing daily production records.
• Operate and maintain institutional food service equipment to ensure smooth kitchen operations.
• Supervise and manage kitchen staff and workflow, nurturing a collaborative and productive environment.
• Ensure food safety compliance, acquiring necessary certification within 30 days of employment.

Why Join Us?
At CTECS, we value our employees and strive to provide an exceptionally encouraging and inclusive work environment. As a Cook, you will have the opportunity to:

• Make a difference in the lives of students by providing nutritious meals that support their educational journey.
• Work in a collaborative and innovative environment, where your contributions are valued and recognized.
• Grow your career with ongoing professional development and opportunities for advancement.

If you are passionate about cooking and looking to bring your skills to an educational setting, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

• Please visit our 'Applicant Tips on How to Apply' page or view our tutorial. 
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.  
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.   
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.  
• Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.  
• Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Liz Pinette at elizabeth.pinette@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. 
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class. 
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov. 
• For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
• Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.

This class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks involved in preparing and cooking food.

• Prepares and cooks a wide variety of foods including special diets; 
• Operates various types of cooking equipment such as stoves, ovens, steam cookers, mixing machines, choppers, etc.; 
• Cleans kitchen areas and equipment; 
• Rotates stock on a regular basis; 
• Assists with the ordering of food and supplies; 
• Inspects food received; 
• May serve food or assist in serving; 
• May prepare production records; 
• Performs related duties as required.

• Knowledge of
  • and ability to apply cooking principles and techniques on a quantity basis; 
  • liquid and dry weights and measures; 
  • health and safety requirements in food service; 
• Skills
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • oral and written communication skills; 
• Ability to
  • utilize computer software; 
  • prepare menus and keep records; 
  • perform mathematical calculations.

Two (2) years of experience in the preparation of food on a quantity basis.

Successful completion of a cook training course under the auspices of state or federal apprentice training bureaus may be substituted for one (1) year of the General Experience.

• Experience with large volume food production in a school cafeteria or similar setting.
• Experience independently performing tasks to include ordering, inventory, and completion of daily production records.
• Experience in using institutional food service equipment.
• Experience in a supervisory role with management of staff members and kitchen workflow.
• Experience utilizing Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Possession of or ability to acquire food safety certification within 30-days of employment.

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift moderate to heavy weights; may be exposed to risk of injury from equipment and utensils used in the kitchen and from individuals.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.