Job Title: NWITC Cook / Housekeeper 1 

Department: Northwest Indian Treatment Center (NWITC) Inpatient Facility

Reports to: Treatment Center Director, Cook 4

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Time Status: Full Time

TS Range: 5/6 ($21.79)

Opening Date: 9/18/2026

Closing Date: 10/2/2026

SUMMARY: The NWITC Cook / Housekeeper I plays an important role in creating a clean, safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for patients receiving residential substance use disorder treatment. This position performs a combination of food service and housekeeping duties, including meal preparation, safe food handling, cleaning, sanitizing, and maintaining patient and common areas.

As a member of the NWITC team, this position interacts regularly with patients and staff and is expected to demonstrate professionalism, respect, appropriate boundaries, and effective communication. Employees will learn and use DBT-based skills to support positive interactions and respond appropriately to challenging or emotionally heightened situations. This position may assist with training new employees and participates in required safety and emergency preparedness activities. Evening, weekend, and holiday shifts may be required based on facility needs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Cook Duties

• Prepares and serves nutritious, flavorful, indigenous, and appealing meals that support patient wellness, recovery, and overall health.
• Incorporates fresh, whole, traditional, and locally grown foods whenever available and appropriate, including foods and herbs grown in the NWITC garden.
• Supports NWITC’s connection between food, culture, land, and wellness by respecting ingredients, reducing unnecessary food waste, and supporting composting and sustainable practices.
• Accommodates approved dietary needs while providing patients with balanced and nourishing meal options.
• Creates a welcoming and respectful dining experience that recognizes meals as an important part of community, connection, and the treatment environment.
• Maintains high standards for food safety, sanitation, storage, preparation, and service in accordance with applicable requirements and NWITC practices.
• Maintains a clean, organized, and sanitary kitchen and completes  routine and scheduled cleaning of kitchen equipment, preparation areas, appliances, floors, and food service areas.
• Works collaboratively with the kitchen, garden, cultural, and treatment teams to support patient activities, cultural events, celebrations, and facility programming.
• Communicates food safety, equipment, supply, sanitation, or maintenance concerns promptly to the appropriate supervisor.

Housekeeping Duties

• Maintains a clean, safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment  that supports healing, dignity, and recovery.
• Cleans and sanitizes patient rooms, common areas, restrooms, dining areas, offices, and other assigned areas while respecting patient privacy, personal space, and belongings.
• Recognizes the importance of the physical environment in creating a place where patients feel cared for, respected, and supported during treatment.
• Maintains shared spaces in a manner that reflects NWITC’s  expectations for respect, community, and care for the facility.
• Performs laundry duties and ensures patients have access to clean linens and towels.
• Maintains outdoor and shared areas by removing litter, addressing spills or hazards, and supporting the overall appearance and safety of the NWITC campus.
• Properly uses, cleans, and stores housekeeping equipment, chemicals, and supplies and follows established infection prevention and  safety practices.
• Reports maintenance needs, environmental concerns, damaged equipment, or potential health and safety hazards promptly.
• Works collaboratively across departments and assists with facility, cultural, alumni, and community activities as needed.
• Demonstrates stewardship of NWITC facilities, resources, and grounds by helping maintain an environment that patients, staff, alumni, and the community can take pride in.

Patient Support & DBT

• Creates a welcoming, respectful, and supportive environment for patients throughout their treatment experience.
• Demonstrates DBT skills through respectful communication, healthy boundaries, emotional regulation, and positive interactions with patients, alumni, and coworkers.
• Encourages patients to practice DBT and healthy coping skills during everyday interactions and activities.
• Models professionalism, accountability, teamwork, and respect  while recognizing that every staff member contributes to the patient’s recovery experience.
• Supports NWITC’s commitment to culturally respectful, trauma-informed, and recovery-focused care.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position have no supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below 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. : Valid Washington State Drivers License.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: AA and one year of relevant experience OR High School Diploma or GED and three years of relevant experience as a cook responsible for ordering food/supplies, planning menus, cooking large quantities, and maintaining cleanliness of a kitchen, dining and other food areas. Experience working with Native Americans is preferred. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. Able to manage attention of individuals skillfully and appropriately demonstrating DBT skills. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISRATIONS: Must have and maintain a valid Food Handler’s Permit. Must have a current, valid Washington State Driver’s License. The successful applicant must pass a criminal history background check. Must be insured by the Tribe’s insurance carrier. Must complete TB test and CPR training.

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb or balance and taste or smell. The employee must regularly lift up to 25 pounds, frequently lift up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift more than 100 pounds. This position also requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to fumes or airborne particles; frequently exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather), toxic or caustic chemicals, and vibration; and must occasionally work near moving mechanical parts, work in high, precarious places, and work in outdoor weather conditions, extreme cold (non-weather), extreme heat (non-weather), and run the risk of electrical shock. The noise level of this position is moderate.

This position requires the use of cleaning products that may contain caustic chemicals. Employees are required to use vinyl or latex gloves and eye protection when using cleaning products. The noise level and vibration is associated with operating vacuum cleaners, carpet shampooers and motor vehicles.

DRUG FREE WORKPLACE: The successful candidate will be required to have a urinalysis for drug and alcohol screening in accordance with the Tribe’s Drug Free Workplace Policy.

INDIAN PREFERENCE:  Indian Preference will be exercised in the hiring of this position in accordance with the Tribe’s Personnel Policies..