Exam Bulletin - Food Service Supervisor I

Department of Veterans Affairs

Multiple Testing Departments. Please see list of Departments.

Exam Code: EX-5196

Examination Plans Included:

  • FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Classification Details

FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I: $3,523.00 - $4,592.00 per Month

View the FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I classification specification.

Application Instructions

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

  • 7/1/2026
  • 8/1/2026
  • 9/1/2026
  • 10/1/2026
  • 11/1/2026
  • 12/1/2026
  • 1/1/2027

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will be processed in the next group.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

    5196

For FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-05196

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

You may apply by mail to:

  • Examinations Unit
    Department of Veterans Affairs
    Department of Veterans Affairs - Human Resources Branch
    1227 O Street, Room 404
    Sacramento, CA 95814

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

  • Department of Veterans Affairs
    Department of Veterans Affairs - Human Resources Branch
    1227 O Street, Room 404
    Sacramento, CA 95814
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678). All applicants must provide proof of identification. Accepted forms of identification are: 1) a photo identification card or 2) two forms of signed identification.

You may email your application and any applicable or required documents to:

exams@calvet.ca.gov

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

00102258 - FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I

Either I

One year of experience performing the duties of a Food Service Worker II in the California state service.

Or II

Two years of experience performing the duties of a Food Service Worker I in the California state service.
Or III
Experience: Three years of experience in the distribution and service of foods in large quantity including the cleaning and maintaining of equipment and work areas. One year of this experience must have been in a supervisory capacity including responsibility for the training and assignment of food service employees. and Education: Equivalent to completion of the eighth grade.

Position Description

00102258 - FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I

Under direction, in a large dining area of a State institution, to supervise and instruct employees and helpers from the resident population engaged in serving meals and cleaning and maintaining work areas, equipment, and utensils; may instruct, lead, or supervise inmates, wards, or resident workers; and do other related work.
Supervises the serving and portion control of food in a large dining area of a State institution; assigns posts to dining room employees and helpers from the resident population and trains and instructs them in serving methods, sanitation standards, and methods of working with and instructing helpers from the resident population; supervises table setting, dining room preparation for meal service, cleaning of tables after meals, and maintenance and arrangement of dining and serving areas, equipment and utensils; maintains uniform food handling practices and standards of safety and sanitation in an assigned area; as directed, may provide advisory assistance to nursing service personnel assigned to ward dining rooms; observes and reports on residents' attitudes toward foods served; keeps food acceptance and plate wastage records; evaluates the performance of employees and helpers from the resident population and takes or recommends appropriate action; orders, receives and supervises storage and inventory of supplies; keeps records and makes reports.

Sympathetic understanding of and willingness to work with the resident population of a State institution; personal cleanliness; and freedom from communicable diseases.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1Supplemental ReportWith Application100%

Components that are due with your application will be scored and will count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items may result in disqualification or elimination from the examination.

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of: Arrangement and operation of dining areas and food service counters; various types of dining room and serving utensils and equipment and their uses; appropriate cleaning and preserving materials and their use in the maintenance of dining room utensils and work areas; dining room sanitation and safety measures; effective personnel practices; and general pantry operation.

 Ability to: Plan, organize and direct the work of others; plan and conduct in-service training programs; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; keep records and prepare reports; read and follow serving instruction for therapeutic diets.

Eligible List Information

A Servicewide Open eligible list for the FOOD SERVICE SUPERVISOR I Classification will be established for:

  • State of California

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

Testing Departments

  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • State of California

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Examinations Unit
Department of Veterans Affairs - Human Resources Branch
1227 O Street, Room 404
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2535
exams@calvet.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)
By Mail
In Person (see bulletin for details)
Alternate Application Process

While we recommend that you utilize your CalCareer Account to take advantage of all the tools available, you may choose to apply for this examination without using your account. In this case, print and complete the Exam Application Package Checklist and include it if you submit a hard copy application.

Exam Application Package Checklist

Blank Application Form (STD678)

Accommodation Request (STD679)