Chief Dental Officer (61811)

Our Mission, Vision, & Model of Care

At Union Community Care, our purpose is at the forefront of all that we do: we stand for whole health to help you live your fullest life.

We envision vibrant and healthy communities supported by inclusive healthcare that embraces each member’s unique culture, needs, and values, and emboldens them to make healthful choices that fuel their well-being and the well-being of others.

We believe in whole health. This means we address and heal disease but equally important, we work at the causes of the causes, the social ills that must be addressed to achieve true equity.

We listen, learn, and embrace the complex lives and unique strengths of our patients, and we work hard to break down all barriers to care. This means we look through a grassroots lens. We connect with our communities because we are our communities. Each of us is a neighbor, a friend, a family member, and together, we are a trusted community health center.

JOB SUMMARY

Lead the successful operations of Union Community Care’s dental program across all sites in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. This position is 50% administrative and 50% clinical.

SPECIFIC JOB DUTIES

1. Clinical Leadership & Quality

Provide leadership to ensure the highest standards of dental care across all Union sites.

Responsibilities include:

• Establish and maintain clinical standards of care and treatment protocols
• Lead dental peer review, quality improvement, and patient safety efforts
• Support dentists and hygienists in practicing evidence-based, patient-centered care
• Guide complex clinical decision-making and consultations
• Support appropriate referral networks for specialty dental care
• Promote oral-systemic integration with medical and behavioral health teams

2. Provider Engagement & Culture

Create a professional environment where dentists and hygienists thrive.

Responsibilities include:

• Foster positive provider culture, collaboration, and communication
• Support dentists’ autonomy, authority, responsibility, and accountability in their practice environment
• Mentor and coach dental providers
• Lead dental provider meetings and forums
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention of dental clinicians
• Promote team-based care across dental practices

3. Strategic Program Leadership

Partner with executive leadership to guide the future of Union’s dental program.

Responsibilities include:

• Help implement the Union Dental Strategic Plan
• Support development of new care models, including:
  • walk-in dental access models
  • pediatric initiatives (e.g., Smiles of Joy program)
• Help redesign provider incentive structures aligned with site performance
• Support evaluation of service lines (e.g., high-restorative services)
• Participate in strategic planning for dental program growth

4. Operational Partnership

Collaborate with the Director of Dental Operations to ensure operational success.

Responsibilities include:

• Partner on access, productivity, and quality improvement initiatives
• Support the development of team-based care models at each site
• Review performance metrics and support improvement strategies
• Participate in revenue cycle review and documentation improvement efforts
• Support implementation of EPIC/Wisdom dental record optimization

Day-to-day operational management of assistants and clinic workflows is primarily led by site supervisors and the Director of Dental Operations.

5. Organizational Leadership

Serve as a key leader within Union Community Care.

Responsibilities include:

• Represent dental services within executive and organizational initiatives
• Participate in budgeting, grant opportunities, and financial stewardship
• Support cross-department collaboration across medical, behavioral health, and community programs
• Champion Union’s mission of providing accessible, compassionate care for the community

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain a limited clinical practice to remain connected to patient care and provider experience.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide comprehensive dental care including diagnostic, preventive, restorative, periodontal, and extraction services
• Promote oral health education and prevention
• Coordinate care with physicians and other healthcare providers
• Participate in continuing education and professional development

Clinical time will typically represent 20–40% of the role, depending on organizational needs.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Required:

• DDS or DMD from an accredited dental school
• Active Pennsylvania dental license
• DEA registration
• Minimum 5 years clinical dental practice
• Demonstrated leadership experience in dental or healthcare settings
• Experience leading clinical teams and quality improvement initiatives

Preferred:

• Experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers or community health settings
• Experience leading multi-site dental programs
• Experience working in integrated medical-dental environments

KEY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking and systems leadership
• Strong interpersonal and coaching skills
• Commitment to health equity and community-centered care
• Ability to build trust and engagement among dental providers
• Collaborative leadership across operational and clinical teams

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

In order to fulfill the requirements of this position, all listed duties are considered essential functions of the job.

ORGANIZATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

This position is required to participate in mandatory all staff meetings, team meetings and trainings.