Union Cook Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

The Oregon Youth Authority is seeking dedicated and skilled Cooks to join our team at the MacLaren 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.

Top duties of the position:

• Supervises and trains youth in custody in the preparation of meals, food safety and sanitation practices and usage of kitchen tools and equipment.

• Woks independently while cooking, preparing and coordinating nutritious and appealing meals form OYA menus and standardized recipes.

• Performs daily cooking tasks and meal preparations using a variety of kitchen equipment.

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!

Click Here to Register for OYA Career Chats!

Additional Information:

• Effective Feb. 1, 2026, the compensation plan for this position will be increased to reflect a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.5%. The salary listed in this posting does not reflect the COLA.

• Open Until Filled: This recruitment will remain open until filled. Our first application screening is scheduled for 2/12/26 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 multiple, current, and future vacancies.

• Representation: This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU/OPEU).

• Comprehensive and equitable base salary offer within the listed range based on your experience, skills and education. For more information on pay equity, click here.

• 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.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• 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.

• Theuse ofreasonable 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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.

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

This position requires a food handler's card, must have the ability to obtain the appropriate county food handler's card within 30 days of hire.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES/APPLICATION SCORING CRITERIA: If you have these qualities, let us know! It's how we will choose whom to move forward!

Note: You do not need to have all of these qualities to be eligible for this position.

• Strong communication skills

• Reliability, consistently dependable and punctual, demonstrating accountability and follow through with job responsibilities

• Teamwork and collaboration

• Food safety and sanitation knowledge

• Positive role modeling

• Adaptability

How to apply:

• RESUME REQUIRED: Ensure your resume thoroughly reflects your skills, experience (both lived and professional), knowledge, and/or education pertinent to this position, including how you meet the minimum qualifications and any/all desired attributes. Include in your resume dates of employment and descriptions of duties/responsibilities for each position.

• Complete the questionnaire.

• Following the submission of your application, promptly respond to the public records request authorization and gender identity questionnaire. If you're an employee, these tasks will be in your Workday inbox.

• Eligible veterans and Oregon National Guard servicemembers (current and former) who meet the qualifications of the position will be awarded candidate preference. For more information, please visit Veterans Resources.

• If you are a veteran, the task to claim preference will come after the public records request question. Please do not attach your DD214/DD215/civil service preference letter to your application. We will ask you for your documents later in the process.

Caution: If you fail to follow these instructions, including failing to attach a resume as described above, we will have to disqualify your application. We cannot consider incomplete or late applications.

This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU/OPEU). By joining and maintaining your membership with SEIU Local 503, the following benefits are available to you such as:

• $2,500 life insurance policypaid for by your union, SEIU Local 503. This policy is in effect if you are an active member.

• Up to $200,000 of additional life insurancecan be purchased. Up to $100,000 member life, $40,000 spouse and $10,000 child is guaranteed within the first 90 days of new union membership.

• Short Term Disability insuranceis guaranteed if purchased within the first 90 days of new union membership.

• Legal insuranceenrollment is available to purchase within the first 90 days of new union membership.

• Tuition reimbursement.

For more information on SEIU, please click here.

ABOUT OYA

At OYA, diversity, equity, and inclusion are more than just words on a page.To meet our mission and live our values as an agency, DEI must be at the heart of all we do. We support cultural competence, develop teams and cultivate leaders in ways that are equitable to everyone, especially people of color, those who identify as LGBTQ+, or those from other marginalized communities. We are explicit and intentional as we identify resources that all our youth and staff need to grow and prosper. Our DEI work connects closely with our culture of positive human development, with safe and supportive environments where everyone is held accountable and connected to their community. The end goal is to protect the public and reduce crime by holding youth accountable and providing opportunities for reformation in safe environments.

If you are looking to join a team that values individual and cultural differences, with the opportunity to contribute to youth reformation by enriching our workforce with diversity, OYA wants to hear from you! People of color, women, and other members of historically marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply!

For more information please visitwww.oregon.gov/oya.

What's in it for You?
OYA values our employees. We believe that your time outside of the workplace is as valuable as it is inside the workplace. We offer a great work/life balance with flexible work schedules on most positions and a competitive benefits package, including low-cost, high-coverage health insurance, generous time-off, and a competitive retirement plan.

Discover moreabout working in Oregon state government byclicking here.

Additional Information:

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we are here to serve. OYA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be individualized based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law." The more diverse we are, the better our work will be.

Applicants with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process. For assistance regarding reasonable accommodation or for alternative format please contact OYA Recruitment at 971-345-1236. Oregon Relay Service can be reached by calling 7-1-1.

Pre-employment Checks:

In keeping with our mission, OYA will conduct a criminal record check, per OAR 416 Division 800, a driving record background check and a vulnerable population abuse and neglect check. Information obtained about an individual is confidential. An individual who refuses to consent to a criminal records/background check shall be disqualified from consideration in the position for which you applied. All applicants are subject to additional pre-employment check(s) such as fingerprint based on criminal records check, pre-employment drug screening and/or education verification as required for the position.

In 2003 Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), the first federal civil statue focused specifically on addressing sexual violence in juvenile facilities, jails, prisons, and other facilities. In recognition of the rights, safety, and well-being of the youth we serve you will be asked specific questions about your background to ensure our hiring and promotion practices comply with the National PREA standards.

All positions in OYA will require the incumbent to serve as a "mandatory reporter" of child abuse.

Visa Sponsorship:

We do not offer Visa sponsorship. If you are hired, you will be required to fill out the US Department of Homeland Security's I-9 form confirming you are able to work in the US. OYAuses E-Verify to confirm that applicants are authorized to work in the United States.

Have Questions?

For questions about the job announcement, email OYAJobs@oya.oregon.gov.