Kitchen Aide (Cook's Aide)

Kitchen Aide (Cooks Aide)

Salary

$32,767.28 - $54,611.65 Annually

Location

FAIRFAX (EJ27), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

26-00533

Department

Neighborhood & Community Svcs

Opening Date

04/04/2026

Closing Date

4/17/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S08

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

This a grant funded position. The salary offer will not exceed the mid-point of the advertised salary range ($43,689.57).

Join our team at the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) and help support our mission to partner with communities, families, and individuals to provide opportunities to access a continuum of resources that promote equity and create positive outcomes for people of all ages and abilities. Our vision is to see connected communities where all individuals and families are supported and empowered to thrive.

Make a Difference, One Meal at a Time!

Are you passionate about nutrition and helping little ones grow? We're looking for a dedicated Kitchen Aide to join our Early Head Start team!

In this role, you'll be the heartbeat of our kitchen, ensuring our infants and toddlers (birth to age three) receive healthy, delicious meals and snacks every day. Working under our Nutrition Coordinator, you'll help fuel the next generation in a fun, fast-paced childcare environment.

What You'll Do:

Prep & Serve: Support the daily preparation and service of nutritious meals tailored for early childhood development.

Stay Organized: Use Child Plus to document meal service and keep things running smoothly.

Inventory Pro: Keep an eye on kitchen supplies and help manage orders so we never miss a beat.

Safety First: Maintain a sparkling clean kitchen by following Virginia Department of Health sanitation standards and CACFP requirements.

Compliance Champion: Ensure every meal meets Early Head Start performance standards.

What You'll Bring:

A heart for working in a childcare setting.

Reliability and a "team player" attitude.

Comfort using basic software (like Child Plus) for documentation.

Knowledge of (or willingness to learn) USDA and health department food safety regulations.

Why Join Us?

This is more than just a kitchen job-it's a chance to play a vital role in the health and happiness of children in our community. Apply today and help us nourish the next generation, one meal at a time!

Illustrative Duties

Cleans, peels, cuts, trims and prepares food for cooking;

Prepares plates and serves meals;

Washes dishes and scrubs pots;

Cleans kitchen equipment;

Sweeps and mops floors;

Sets up dining area;

Inventories supplies;

Follows established cooking procedure with minimal supervision.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

Some knowledge of large-scale food preparation;

Ability to follow oral and written instruction;

Ability to maintain simple records;

Ability to operate a variety of kitchen equipment.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to completion of the tenth grade, supplemented by two years of work experience, preferably including some experience in the preparation of a variety of food in considerable quantity.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check and a Child Protective Services Registry check to the satisfaction of the employer. A Tuberculosis (TB) test upon hire.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least one year of experience in a licensed childcare, Head Start, or school nutrition environment.
• Current ServSafe or state-recognized Food Handler Certification.
• Familiarity with USDA CACFP meal patterns and documentation requirements.
• Prior experience using Child Plus or similar childcare management software for record-keeping.
• Experience preparing meals for infants and toddlers, including knowledge of food allergies and texture-modified diet.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Work is generally sedentary in nature; however, incumbent may be required to do some walking, standing, bending, and carrying items up to 25 pounds. Ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing. Sufficiently mobile to attend meetings at various locations and make presentations to county staff and community. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

#LI-LD1

Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities
• Commuter Benefits Accounts

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 10th grade
• 10th to less than 11th grade
• 11th to less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

How many years of full-time equivalent food service experience do you possess, specifically in the preparation of a variety of food in considerable quantity?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

04

How many years of experience do you have in a licensed childcare, Head Start, or school nutrition environment?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

05

Please indicate the areas in which you have at least one (1) year of experience related to food service and kitchen operations. Check all that apply.

• Maintaining and organizing kitchen records (i.e. meal counts, temperature logs, cleaning schedule)
• Maintaining child meal documentation and dietary accommodation records
• Assisting with infant food ordering and inventory tracking
• Reviewing food supplies for accuracy
• Customer service related to meal service for children, and staff
• Support kitchen operations and sanitation
• Assisting with basic meal reporting (i.e. meal counts, supply usage
• Preparing meals for infants and toddlers, including knowledge of food allergies and texture-modified diet
• None of the above

06

How many years of experience do you have preparing meals for infants and toddlers?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

07

How many years of experience do you have using ChildPlus or similar childcare management software for record-keeping?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

08

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Word.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating, editing, formatting, and saving simple documents; inserting simple tables; and proofreading documents for accuracy)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of common commands such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; setting up the ruler; indenting paragraphs, using tabs and tables; inserting captions, footnotes, endnotes, special characters, or hard page breaks; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; inserting an equation, adding comments and tracking changes.)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all function of program including mail merge, macros, creating a table of contents, creating bookmarks and cross-referencing.)
• No experience

09

Do you possess a current certification in any of the following. Check all that apply.

• ServSafe
• StateFoodSafety
• eFoodHandlers
• Learn2Serve
• Other state-recognized Food Handler certification

10

If you answered, "other state-recognized Food Handler certification", please list it. If this question does not apply to you, type N/A.

11

Are you familiar with USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns and documentation requirements?

• Yes
• No

12

Are you familiar with Virginia State Licensing Guidelines?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm