Cook

Initial Posting Date: 12/26/2025

Final date to receive applications:

Agency: Oregon Youth Authority

Salary Range: $3,705.00 - $5,066.00

Position Type: Employee

Position Title: Cook

The Oregon Youth Authority is seeking a dedicated and skilled Cook to join our team at the Rogue Valley Youth Correctional Facility where you will be providing nutritious, balanced meals for the youth we serve. In this role, you will be responsible for food preparation, ensuring meals meet dietary requirements, and maintaining high standards of food safety. A key aspect of the position involves direct interaction with the youth in our program, where you will supervise and train young individuals in cooking and kitchen tasks while preparing and serving meals.

This hands‑on approach helps foster life skills and a sense of responsibility in our youth. Additional duties include maintaining accurate record‑keeping of meal inventories, tracking food supplies, and ensuring that kitchen equipment and resources are properly managed. If you have a strong culinary background and a passion for working with youth, we encourage you to apply.

• Works independently while cooking, preparing and coordinating meals from OYA menus and recipes.
• Supervises and trains youth in custody in the preparation and serving of meals.
• Maintains required records of meals served and quantities prepared for the Federal Food Program.

Would you like to learn more about this position or how our application process works? Join our Recruitment team every other Wednesday, between 11am-11:30am PST during our OYA Career Chat Sessions. We can assist you with all your application and agency questions!

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• Open Until Filled:
  This recruitment will remain open until filled. Our first application screening is scheduled for 1/16/26 at 8:30am, but we may close the announcement at any time after this date when we have received an adequate number of applications. We cannot guarantee that we will consider applications received after this screening date. We encourage interested applicants not to delay in applying.
• Bilingual applicants encouraged to apply but must have intermediate English proficiency or higher for this role.
• This recruitment will be used to establish a list of qualified candidates to fill current and future vacancies.
• Comprehensive and equitable base salary offer within the listed range based on your experience, skills and education. For more information on pay equity, .
• The salary range listed is the non-PERS participating rate. If you are already a participating PERS member or once you become PERS eligible, the salary range will increase by 6%. Please review the Classification and Compensation page for more details.
• This position receives annual increases on anniversary date until the maximum of the salary range is reached.
• Please save a copy of this job announcement for your reference, as it may not be available for you to view after the job closes.

• OYA facilities are tobacco free environments.
• Shift work in a 24-hour, 7-day a week operation, with night shifts, weekends, holidays, and overtime as required.
• Adhereto the dress code of the specific work site.
• Frequent exposure to verbal abuse, threats, and dealing with impulsive, rebellious, assaultive youth.
• Uses commercial cooking equipment (slicers, mixers, and choppers).
• Use of computer and USDA approved software for menu developments, standardization of recipes, and nutrient analysis.
• The use of reasonable force in the performance of duties or during a disturbance or other emergency situation may be required.
• Physical standards for vision, hearing, dexterity, push/pull, running, and jogging.
• Transport youth as requested, and, if in a security position, operate state vehicles constantly.

• One year of experience as a cook in a food service facility OR
• Possession of a Certificate of Completion in culinary arts and/or Foods and Hospitality Service from a certified community college or technical school.

• This position requires a food handler's card, must have the ability…