Chief Dental Officer

Community Health Center of Central Missouri; Jefferson City (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Community Health Center of Central Missouri seeks a Chief Dental Officer to lead the oral health program while maintaining clinical practice. You will guide vision, quality, and provider culture, balancing patient care with strategic leadership to improve access and outcomes.

The role emphasizes governance, credentialing, and collaboration across dental, medical, and behavioral health teams in a growing FQHC setting.

Qualifications

• DDS or DMD from an accredited dental school.
• Current, unrestricted Missouri dental license or eligibility.
• At least five years of clinical practice with leadership or quality-improvement experience.
• Ability to meet credentialing, privileging, and background screening requirements.
• Strong communication, judgment, and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct, patient-centered dental care across preventive, restorative, and urgent needs with leadership time protected.
• Model high-quality, culturally responsive care aligned with CHCCMO's mission and sliding-fee scale.
• Lead clinical governance, quality priorities, and participate in credentialing and peer review.
• Collaborate with dental, medical, behavioral health, and pharmacy teams to coordinate integrated care.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Strategic thinking

Education

DDS or DMD

Missouri dental license

Leadership/quality improvement experience

Job description

About Community Health Center of Central Missouri

Community Health Center of Central Missouri (CHCCMO) is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that has served Central Missouri since 2005. Our mission is to improve access to primary, behavioral, and oral health care for medically underserved individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. Through nine sites, including locations in Jefferson City, Linn, California, and Fulton, our integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy teams care for more than 16,000 patients. We are growing, including a new women's and children's clinic, and we live our vision every day: embracing people, inspiring health.

The Opportunity

CHCCMO is seeking a Chief Dental Officer (CDO) to serve as the Health Center's senior oral health leader and principal dental advisor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board of Directors. This is a practicing-leader role. You will continue caring for patients in our dental clinics while leading the clinical vision, quality, and provider culture of the organization's oral health services.

Your week is intentionally balanced: about three days of clinical practice, one day of provider administrative time, and one protected day each week to lead as Chief. We believe the best clinical leaders stay close to the patients and providers they serve.

Key ResponsibilitiesClinical Practice (About Three Days Per Week)

• Provide direct, patient-centered dental care to CHCCMO patients, including preventive, restorative, and urgent care, on a clinical schedule established in writing that protects leadership time.
• Model evidence-informed, culturally responsive, high-quality care consistent with CHCCMO's mission and sliding fee commitment.
• Maintain timely, complete, and compliant documentation in the electronic health record and dental record.
• Participate in provider coverage and collaborative care with dental hygiene, dental assisting, medical, nursing, behavioral health, and pharmacy colleagues.

Provider Administrative Time (One Day Per Week)

• Complete charting and treatment-plan documentation, review radiographs and referrals, manage prescriptions, and follow up with patients.
• Maintain licensure, credentials, and continuing education.

Chief Dental Officer Leadership (One Administrative Day Per Week)

• Clinical governance and strategy: Advise the CEO and Board on oral health priorities, service design, access, growth, workforce capacity, and the clinical impact of strategic decisions.
• Quality and patient safety: Partner with the Director of Quality, Compliance & Risk to set dental quality priorities, review performance trends, lead corrective action, and report material clinical risk.
• Credentialing, privileging, and peer review: Provide clinical oversight of credentialing, privileging, recredentialing, and competency review for dental providers, and maintain a fair, confidential, and constructive peer-review process.
• Provider and dental team leadership: Support dentist and dental team recruitment, onboarding, engagement, development, and retention; set clear expectations; coach; and address performance concerns fairly and promptly.
• Clinical standards: Oversee dental clinical protocols, standing orders, and practice guidelines, including infection prevention, sterilization, and radiation safety, and ensure licensed staff practice within their scope.
• Integrated care: Promote coordinated dental, medical, behavioral health, nursing, pharmacy, and care-management services, including strong referral relationships with dental specialists.
• Compliance: Support clinical compliance with HRSA Health Center Program requirements, Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) risk practices, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Operations and finance: Partner with the CEO, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer on dental staffing, productivity, access, equipment, supplies, and budget.
• Emergency readiness: Provide clinical leadership for emergency preparedness, infection prevention, and continuity of patient care.
• Board and community: Present clinical updates to the Board and represent CHCCMO with health system, public health, and community partners.

Required Qualifications

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from an accredited institution.
• Current, unrestricted Missouri dental license (or eligibility to obtain one before starting) and federal DEA registration.
• At least five years of clinical dental practice, with demonstrated leadership, mentoring, or quality improvement experience.
• Ability to satisfy CHCCMO credentialing, privileging, payer, background screening, and other requirements.
• Strong communication, judgment, and collaboration skills, with the ability to lead peers respectfully.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an FQHC, community health center, rural health, or other safety-net setting.
• Prior experience as a dental director, lead dentist, or committee chair for quality, peer review, or credentialing.
• Working knowledge of HRSA Health Center Program requirements, FTCA, Uniform Data System (UDS) oral health measures, integrated medical-dental care models, and value-based care.
• Advanced leadership education or certification, such as an MBA, MHA, MPH, or dental executive credential.