Chief Dental Officer

Job Overview

Crescent Community Health Center is seeking a full-time Chief Dental Officer (CDO). As our CDO, you'll provide clinical leadership and operational oversight for our dental department. You'll guide strategic direction of the clinic, oversee and champion expansion of services, provide direct dental care to patients, and lead educational efforts with dental residents through the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Program. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines leadership, mentorship, strategy, and patient-centered care.

Crescent Community Health Center located in Dubuque, Iowa, provides access to dental, healthcare, and wellness services for the Tri-State area. Our state-of-the-art facility (2nd largest in Iowa) consists of 35 operatories, an oral surgery center and an onsite dental lab. We have invested in new equipment such as intraoral scanners, milling machines, 3D imaging, rotary Endo, and surgical microscopes, which reflects our commitment to embrace advanced technology. We will also soon work in the community with our new two-operatory mobile dental clinic. These investments align well with our mission to offer high quality comprehensive care to all age groups.

CDO Key Responsibilities

• Provide a strong day-to-day leadership presence for all dental department staff.
• In collaboration with the CEO, develop and implement the dental scope of practice which best serves all patients of the community.
• Member of the Senior Leadership Team and attend weekly meetings.
• Direct involvement with identification of grant funding sources and procurement of funding to support activities in the dental clinic.
• Supports adherence to and champions organizational compliance efforts throughout the clinic, but especially in the dental department.
• Lead development of clinical protocols and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Oversee scheduling, workflow planning, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Lead, plan, coordinate, and ensure accreditations for approved postgraduate and undergraduate dental programs.
• Recruits, reviews and interviews prospective candidates for AEGD program and as the AEGD Site Director, oversee all aspects of the program.
• Participate in strategic and financial planning discussions with leadership.
• Represent CCHC in regional/state meetings and serve as liaison to external partners, such as Delta Dental of Iowa and the Iowa Primary Care Association.
• Ensure dental program accreditation and facilitate provider onboarding.
• Recruits, reviews and interviews prospective candidates for AEGD program and as the AEGD Site Director, oversee all aspects of the program.
• Directly leads all dental staff. Collaborates with Human Resources in sourcing and recruiting qualified dental staff for the clinic.

Qualifications

• Dental License to Practice Dentistry in Iowa
• CPR/BLS certified
• DDS/DMD
• Driver's License
• Iowa DPA and DEA registrations

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in primary care or community health preferred
• Proven leadership and mentoring experience; previous CDO position preferred
• Experience with leading dental training programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students is highly desired
• Strong understanding of FQHC operations, compliance, and policy
• Commitment to serving diverse and underserved populations
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and team-building skills

In addition to providing patient care and leading all dental efforts of the Center, the CDO will qualify for a faculty appointment with NYU Langone Dental Medicine and oversee the dental residency program.

Percentage of time spent as CDO, time spent in direct patient care, and time spent overseeing the residency program will be discussed in the interview process.

Crescent offers a competitive compensation package. This is a contracted role with salary will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications, experience, and credentials.

Background check, pre-employment physical, TB test, drug screen, and credential verification required.

EOE