Full Time Lead Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Position Type:
Nutrition Services/General Kitchen Help (full-time)
Date Posted:
7/20/2026
Location:
Excelsior Middle School
Position Title: Lead Cook -Full-Time
School: Excelsior Middle School
Immediate Supervisor: Food Service Production Manager/Kitchen Manager
Summary: Prepares quality and safe food products for our students and adults in a quick and timely manner.
Hours of Work: 6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ( Full Time; 8 hours/day)
Terms of Employment: As specified by contract.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Other duties may be assigned.)
• Responsible for preparing and cooking meals in a timely manner. Supervises and coordinates activites of workers engaged in preparing and cooking food in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Nutrition Department.
• Prepares food according to a planned menu and tested uniform recipes before it is served.
Assists with serving food.
• Works in dish room area washing trays, silverware, etc., and returning to proper storage.
• Washes pots and pans in three-compartment sink.
• Assists in control of food and supply costs with proper handling and storage techniques (rotate inventory).
• Has ability to communicate and work with fellow employees.
• Maintains good public relations with students, parents, faculty and the community.
• Assists with catering, if necessary.
• Demonstrate regular and reliable attendance.
Professional Standards:
1. Quality of work (Maintains high standards of food distribution, safety and quality.)
2. Quantity of work (The amount of work performed is evidence of high productivity; industrious; accountable for own fair share of work load; seeks additional tasks)
3. Knowledge of job (Job methods, procedures, practices and responsibilities are well understood and reflected in job performance; exhibits continuous improvement and ongoing learning)
4. Creativity/Problem solving (Offers new ideas; suggests innovative and better ways of performing necessary tasks)
5. Interpersonal skills (Works collaboratively with others; courteous; polite; pleasant; promotes positive image in contacts with co-workers and District customers)
6. Dependability (Reliable; punctual; consistent attendance; completes work accurately and in a timely fashion; stable and calm in a crisis or emergency; works independently)
7. Professional appearance(Dress is acceptable for the job; appears clean, well-groomed and "professional")
8. Organizational skills (Exhibits ability to prioritize work; organizational skills enhance job productivity)
9. Safety (Provides safety and security for self and others through following proper safety procedures at all times)
10. Written/Verbal communication (Conveys information and ideas accurately and courteously to clearly met the needs of the staff/students/visitors, transfers thoughts and ideas into speech and presents clearly)
11. Managing change/adaptability (Demonstrates good understanding of organizational changes and communicates support for such change. Adapts to changes in schedule and work assignments)
12. Professional approach (Professional, positive and helpful approach with visitors and District employees. Displays loyalty toward the organization. Demonstrates a capacity to understand internal and external customer requirements and produces a professional level of service that is satisfactory)
13. Flexibility (Demonstrates openness to new organizational structures and procedures. Willingly takes direction and will modify one's preferred way of doing things)
Supervisory Responsibilities:
None
Minimum Education or Experience:
High school diploma or GED (General Education Degree).
Experience in school food service operations preferred, but not required.
Ability to attend classes as suggested by management. Short Food Course I offered by Department of Education is required (paid by the district).
Licensure or Certification:
Completion of the following course(s) or equivalent is preferred, but not mandatory.
Basic School Food Service
Basic School Food Service Sanitation
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed here are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
• Able to communicate information and ideas in speaking to others so they will understand both orally and in writing.
• Able to prioritize, organize and accomplish assigned work.
• Able to work independently and/or as a team to complete tasks and meet goals.
• Able to recognize problems, determine causes, and take appropriate action for resolution.
• Able to take direction and respond to requests in a courteous and helpful manner.
• Able to learn the operation of food service equipment.
• Aware of district policies and requirements.
Physical Demands: (The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
• Must be capable of standing *constantly.
• Must *constantly present appropriate appearance and personal cleanliness suited to working in close proximity to food service customers.
• Must be able to *frequently work with interruptions during a work shift.
• Must be capable of *frequently working with co-workers with different personalities.
• Must be capable of *occasionally climbing 4 steps of a ladder.
• It may be necessary to *occasionally lift up to 50 pounds to waist level, *occasionally lift up to 40 pounds to shoulder level, and *occasionally lift up to 25 ponds above head level.
• Must be capable of *occasionally pushing 125 pounds requiring 20 pounds-force with hands placed at 36 inches above floor.
• Must be capable of *occasionally pulling 125 pounds requiring 20-poinds-force with hands placed at 36 inches above floor.
• Must be capable of *occasionally carrying 35 pounds for a distance of 50 feet.
• Must be capable of *occasionally trunk rotation for up to 2 minutes at a time.
• Must be capable of *occasionally squatting for up to 2 minutes.
• Must be capable of *occasionally operating commercial kitchen cleaning equipment.
• Must be capable of *occasionally using hand tools and material handling carts requiring a grip force of up to 15 pounds to maintain control.
• Must be capable of *occasionally using cleaning and sanitizing chemicals with appropriate PPE's.
• Must be capable of *frequently working in elevated temperature and humidity's and low ventilation environments of a kitchen or bakery.
• Must be capable of *occasionally working in low temperature environments of coolers and freezers.
• Must have physical dexterity in limbs and digits necessary to operate cleaning tools and equipment.
Work Environment: (The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
Will be working with temperatures above 100 degrees and will be getting food items from cooler and freezer at temperatures of 0-40 degrees. Will be walking where there are wet floors so surfaces may be slippery. Will be working with sharp objects and near hot surfaces. Will be under pressure to meet deadline in getting food prepared for serving the students. Noise level may get loud so employee will need to raise voice to be heard.
Clothing / PPE's:
• Approved slip-resistant shoes
• Uniform as directed by management
• Appropriate gloves and/or protective equipment required by the task, such as hairnet, aprons and rubber gloves when operating the dishwasher or hot pads when handling hot pots.
Equipment / Tools:
• Ovens (rotary, convection, conventional), stove (electric, gas), microwaves, steamers, kettles and proofers, meat slicers, can openers (manual, electric), mixers, cookie dropper, vegetable cutting machine, minor kitchen tools, ice cream machine, garbage disposal, dishwasher, tables (wall-mounted, folding), weights and measurement devices.
• Computers: Macintosh / IBM compatible (PC). SDS (School Dining System) required only for cashier positions.
• Hot carts and containers, material handling carts and other equipment which are required for food transportation tasks.
• Brooms, mops, rags, buckets, garbage liners and cans, cleaning chemicals, hand broom, and dust pans for cleanup operations.
• Light/medium duty delivery trucks, fork lifts, hand trucks, dollies.
• Other commercial/institutional kitchen equipment as may be available.
Evaluation:
Evaluation is the responsibility of the Production Manager. Evaluation for new or transferred employees will be completed after 2 months and again by June 1. After the first full year, employees will be evaluated annually or before June 30 each year.
*denotes standard values established by the Department of Labor.
The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel in this position. These statements are not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his or her supervision.