Position Summary
The Senior Center Associate is employed at a multipurpose senior center that provides activities and meals to older adults. The incumbent functions as part of a team to provide services in an environment that emphasizes client safety. The SC Associate ensures that the food, food handling practices and facility cleanliness meet health, food safety and program policy standards. The incumbent provides information to clients, assists in the day-to-day functioning of the senior center, and responds to client and food service emergencies.
Essential Functions
Under the direction of the Senior Center Manager, the incumbent is accountable for the following activities:
Daily
- Receives food/supplies from caterer (based on meal order) and evaluates food quality, quantity, and temperatures (as per Chapter 24 – State Food Sanitation regulations) for senior center and Meals on Wheels participants registered for the day
- Rec ords food temperatures of every pan of food immediately upon receipt of food from caterer
- Completes all equipment and food temperature reports according to policies and/or when requested by administration; participates in food service problem resolution process
- Completes Caterer Invoice Form daily (i.e., describes food acceptability in terms of appropriate food temperatures and food quality, corrects any errors in order quantities, documents shortages and orders supplies covered in caterer contract)
- Cooks/reheats selected food items for optimal food quality and nutrient retention
- Portions/packs accurate number of home delivered and senior center meals using appropriate utensils according to designated portion sizes listed on specification menu; ensures that meals are ready to leave center for MOW clients between 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. (or at times mutually agreed upon between the Transportation and Nutrition Program administrators); serves lunch between 11:30 and 12 noon to senior center participants unless otherwise directed by Nutrition Administrator
- Calculates meal order and notifies Nutrition Office by 11:00 a.m.
- Checks that Guest Register accurately documents senior center clients who consumed a meal; Note: Guest registers must be adjusted to reflect cancellations, no shows and those who do not consume lunch; checks that MOW drivers have documented the number of meals clients have received; verifies that all meals ordered, and served/delivered are accounted for
- Updates senior center meal reservation sheet and MOW route sheets to reflect new clients, cancelled meals or other changes) and communicates any changes in client status or meal delivery to Office on Aging & Disability Services and Transportation staff as directed
- Counts/records client donations and prepares banking slips/courier envelopes
- Maintains various logs (i.e., Volunteer Hours, Community Service Worker hours, Frozen Meal Back Up Food Log, New MOW Client Emergency Food/Literature Tracking log, etc.)
Weekly
- Posts current and subsequent week’s menus for clients and kitchen staff
- Prints and places current and subsequent week’s senior center reservation sheet at Reception Desk
- Updates and posts MOW route sheets on Office on Aging & Disability Services shared computer drive
- Accurately completes/updates and forwards weekly paperwork to the Nutrition Program Assistant (i.e., Weekly Meal Recaps, Client Reservation Sheets, Guest Registers, Meals on Wheels (MOW) rosters, Bank Deposit slips, Temperature Reports, Bank Deposit slips, Invoices etc.) every Wednesday for preceding week
Quarterly or As Needed
- Dates back up food and stores according to established “first in, first out” procedures; maintains/stores inventory of back – up food, and other supplies needed to perform job functions; follows procedures to order supplies; obtains other supplies from Nutrition Office on an as – needed basis
- Reports all menu changes or food service problems to Manager, and/or caterer in Manager’s absence
- Participates in determining emergency food plan for food service problem resolution
- Notifies Nutrition Office of any unresolved food service problems or those resulting in the use of canned back up food
- Maintains records and organizes literature/special meal orders for new MOW clients (i.e., Nutrition Education article, Meals on Wheels Reminders, Shelf Stable Food Suggestion List/Snow Closing Information (seasonally) + orders emergency meals)
- As directed by Nutrition Program Administrator, sends out quarterly Nutrition Education literature or other literature/cards, etc. to MOW clients
- Provides information to clients as requested; follows policy on whom to inform about senior center clients possibly needing referral to Eldercare Specialist/Care Manager
- Completes and emails Senior Center Registration – Tier I forms to Office on Aging & Disability Services staff, for new clients
- Completes Meals on Wheels temperature tests to ensure that meals can be held at food safe temperatures for the duration of the MOW route; submits report at end of each quarter (March, June, September, and December)
- Interacts with senior center participants, volunteers and all work-related contacts courteously, professionally, sensitively and tactfully (verbally and in writing) being sure to handle all difficult situations in a private setting. (Refer to Interpersonal Skills section)
- Implements appropriate follow - up procedures for “no show” senior center and MOW clients who have not responded when Transportation arrives; documents each incident on client records; notifies the Senior Center Manager
- Responds to senior center client accidents/health emergencies/illness/behavior issues, etc. that have occurred on center property according to policy; documents incidents in client record and on Nutrition Program Incident Report within two (2) business days, as directed by Senior Center Manager
- Reports need for building repairs to Manager and in his/her absence to Nutrition Office
- Participates in meetings and training sessions
- Covers essential senior center tasks to ensure client safety and ensure the safe operation/cleanliness of the senior center during staff absences/vacancies (or as assigned) at same or other county-operated senior center
- Works on special projects as assigned
- Trains volunteers who can assist with maintenance/kitchen duties; works side by side with new hires to support their training
Maintenance Tasks
The following tasks must meet a standard of cleanliness/safety set by the health department and the Nutrition & Wellness Program Administrator:
- Sanitizes sinks prior to use
- Cleans stove and countertops daily
- Loads/unloads commercial dishwasher, daily
- Wipes tables and chairs daily
- Cleans glass doors daily
- Cleans rest rooms daily
- Checks garbage disposal area for cleanliness daily and cleans as needed; empties trash/recycles appropriately
- Cleans pots/pans/trays and sterilizes senior center utensils daily according to procedures described in Chapter 24 of the NJ State Sanitary code
- Wipes home delivery transport bags and coolers daily and thoroughly washes/sterilizes interior and exterior once per week
- Wipes steam table daily and thoroughly cleans weekly
- Wipes spills immediately
- Sweeps/washes floors weekly or more frequently as needed
- Vacuums floors weekly or more frequently as needed
- Cleans oven minimally twice per year
- Cleans and dusts all common areas weekly
- Polishes senior center equipment/furnishings weekly
- Maintains and cleans pantry and supply storage areas in an organized fashion
- Moves furnishings to accommodate changes in center activities and/or to clean
- Climbs step stool to clean items and to store/retrieve items
- Cleans refrigerator/defrosts freezer, minimally four times per year
- Assists with any ill or incontinent participants
In the absence of the Manager and Senior Center Assistant, completes the following tasks:
- Notifies the Nutrition Office of necessary building repairs and oversees the satisfactory completion of the task
- Introduces and thanks all guest speakers, makes pre – lunch announcements, leads prayer and flag salute
- In the long-term absence of Manager (i.e., longer than 1 month), contacts volunteer treasurer to obtain the Income/Expense report and forwards it to the Nutrition Office
- Covers essential senior center tasks to ensure client safety and ensure the safe operation/cleanliness of the senior center during staff absences/vacancies (or as assigned) at same or other county-operated senior center
- Provides new member Senior Center Orientation (i.e., completes Senior Center Registration – Tier I form, explains Release Forms, Consumer Bill of Rights, Notice of Privacy, and other information about the senior center); stores records in a secured location and forwards a copy of the Registration form to Office on Aging & Disability Services data entry staff
Completes client incident reports and forwards to the Nutrition Office in two (2) business days
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Qualifications
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as part of a team
- Ability to read, write and communicate clearly in English; can communicate effectively with diverse clientele
- High School diploma or equivalent
- Basic math/clerical skills
- Computer skills: Excel, Word, and Outlook (e-mail)
- Ability to produce accurate work in a fast-paced work environment
- Detail oriented, flexible, with good problem-solving abilities
- Ability to lift/move steam table pans of food, trays of food, trays of dishes/flatware, trash, boxes of supplies and senior center furnishings up to 35 pounds
- Ability to use manual meal packaging equipment for Meals on Wheels program that necessitates lifting both hands simultaneously to a height of five feet above the floor, and lowering them to 40 inches above the floor, repeatedly at a rate of up to 6 cycles per minute for a period of up to 45 minutes per day; ability to load/unload commercial dishwasher (floor mounted) and ability to perform side to side and forward and back repetitive motion tasks
- Ability to stand/walk/reach/bend/squat (bearing weight) for extended periods of time to complete tasks
- Ability to pass state and/or local food handlers' training tests (Passing score = 80 or as otherwise specified by testing authority)
- Ability to pass Office on Aging & Disability Services tests on Nutrition Program policies and procedures (Passing score = 80)
- Valid NJ driver’s license and ability to travel independently to various work locations as assigned; during staffing or other emergencies, travel may be required with little to no advance notice
Preferred
- Bilingual
- Food service experience
Customer service experience
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Part-Time, 25 hours/week, Monday-Friday
Pay rate: $19.77/hour
