Part-Time Cook

Discover Your Future with Opportunity Central! Job Description Summary: Are you looking for a hands on, rewarding role where you can directly support community members in need? Do you enjoy working in a fast paced kitchen environment where your skills help create comfort and stability for others? Join our Shelter team as a Cook, where you will provide nutritious meals to residents and play an essential role in supporting the County’s mission to deliver equitable, accessible, and compassionate services.

Job Description: As a Cook, you’ll prepare and serve meals in a large‑scale institutional setting, maintain a clean and safe kitchen, and ensure that residents receive high‑quality food that meets health and safety standards. This position is ideal for someone who works well independently, adapts quickly, and brings both consistency and care to their work.

Your efforts directly support vulnerable individuals, helping meet one of their most basic and meaningful needs. Starting Salary: $15.56 hourly Work Schedule: Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Be advised that this position may be funded in-part or wholly through an established grant agreement. Employment in this position is subject to the availability of grant funds.

The position may be modified, reduced, or eliminated based on the terms of the grant agreement(s) and the level of funding available to carry out the intent(s) of such grant(s). Why You Should Consider a Career as a Cook: Meaningful Impact: Your meals directly support community members facing hardship, providing essential nourishment and comfort.

Consistent Schedule: Weekend daytime shifts allow for stable weekly planning. Skill Development: Build institutional cooking experience, strengthen time management, and refine kitchen operations skills. Unique Perks: The shelter is conveniently located near bus lines and major highways, with free on‑site parking.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook, and serve meals for shelter residents following established menus and nutritional guidelines.
• Ensure safe operation of institutional kitchen equipment.
• Maintain kitchen cleanliness, sanitation, and food‑handling standards.
• Follow established policies and procedures regarding storage, rotation, and preparation of food.
• Communicate with the Lead Cook to coordinate weekend meal service.
• Support holiday meal preparation or accept optional additional hours when available.

Minimum Qualifications

Graduation from High School or equivalent and one year of experience working in a large-scale institution cooking or any equivalent combination of training and experience. Pre-Employment Process Requirements: Applicants will be evaluated based on relevant education, experience, responses to supplemental questions, and other work-related information provided on the application.

Resumes are supplementary and do not replace the required application. All candidates will receive notifications regarding application status once determined. Status updates are provided via email and can be found within each candidate’s Workday profile. Responses that qualified candidates provide to the application questions will count as 100% of their final evaluation score.

A candidate must earn a qualifying grade of 70 or more on the interview to be eligible for appointment. The five highest-ranking candidates will be referred to the Department Director/Appointing Authority for final selection. Pre-Employment Screening: Candidates extended a conditional offer must successfully complete all required pre‑employment screenings.

These screenings include a drug test administered at no cost to the applicant by a certified laboratory and a background check evaluating the recency and relevance of the candidate’s history to the position. Candidates must complete the drug test within 48 hours of receiving a conditional offer; failure to do so may result in withdrawal of the offer.

At St. Louis County, we're not just about jobs, we're about opportunity. Equal Opportunity Employer: St. Louis County is committed to fair and equitable employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or political affiliation.

St. Louis County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for the application or hiring process should contact the St. Louis County ADA Coordinator at 314-615-1796 or call Relay MO at 711 or 1-800-735-2966 (TTY) or email dlancaster@stlouiscountymo.gov .