Director of Operations

Fidler and Associates; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Fidler and Associates is seeking a senior, hands-on Business Operations leader to coordinate complex initiatives across two dental practices in the Tacoma area. The role focuses on turning leadership priorities into measurable, sustained results while reducing dependence on owners or managers for routine follow-through.

You will drive closed-loop accountability, reliable infrastructure, and adoption of new workflows at 30/60/90 days, manage expansions and vendor relationships, and report with

Qualifications

• Substantial experience leading business operations and complex programs.
• Proven ability to manage multiple workstreams across sites or departments.
• Strong budgeting, reporting, and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a single view of priorities with owners, deadlines, and evidence.
• Oversee facilities, vendors, systems, and processes across both practices.
• Ensure adoption of new workflows with 30/60/90 day verification.
• Coordinate expansions, IT/vendor dependencies, and cross-functional projects.
• Design backup coverage and handoffs to keep work moving during leadership absences.

Skills

Vendor management

Operations leadership

Project management

Executive communication

Tools

Open Dental

Practice by Numbers

Weave

Online booking systems

Job description

Business Operations & Strategic Execution

LOCATION

Spanaway / Greater Tacoma, Washington

SCOPE

POSITION TYPE

Senior, hands-on business operations leadership

SEARCH STATUS

Confidential / preliminary; final authority to be defined

The opportunity

Pacific NW Dental Center and Timberline Kids Dental are privately owned, established dental practices serving the greater Tacoma community. Pacific NW Dental Center provides comprehensive adult and general dentistry, including advanced restorative, implant, and sedation services. Timberline Kids Dental provides pediatric dentistry and is expanding its facilities and operating capacity.

Together, the practices generate approximately $12 million in annual revenue. As the organization grows, we are adding a leader responsible for making business operations more reliable, coordinating complex initiatives, and ensuring that approved systems remain in use after launch.

Position mission

Turn leadership priorities into completed, measurable, and sustained operational results - with less dependence on the owner or existing practice managers for routine follow-through.

What this leader will be hired to deliver

• Closed-loop accountability: clear owners, due dates, escalation paths, and verified completion of priorities.
• Dependable business infrastructure: well-managed facilities, vendors, systems, and operating processes across both practices.
• Sustained adoption: new workflows are implemented, reinforced, and checked at 30, 60, and 90 days - not considered successful simply because training occurred.
• Capacity for growth: expansions, technology rollouts, and operational projects progress without constant owner intervention.

Working relationship

This is an additive role that complements experienced practice leaders responsible for people management, employee development, patient service, and daily clinic operations. The director must earn credibility through collaboration while exercising independent judgment within an agreed scope. Initial owner-level partnership is expected; final reporting lines and decision rights will be confirmed during the search.

Core responsibilities

01 Operating cadence, priorities & follow-through

• Build and maintain a single view of assigned priorities, accountable owners, deadlines, constraints, and completion evidence.
• Prepare leadership meeting agendas, project status updates, and exception reports; track decisions to verified closure.
• Respectfully follow up on owner and leadership commitments, escalating overdue decisions without creating unnecessary
• Oversee nonclinical repair requests, preventive maintenance schedules, contractor coordination, and service documentation.
• Verify completed work, warranties, service charges, invoice accuracy, renewal schedules, and resolution of recurring issues.
• Maintain reliable site-readiness systems for utilities, grounds, equipment service, and business continuity.

03 Technology, workflows & sustained implementation

• Coordinate business-side implementations involving Open Dental, Practice by Numbers, Weave, online booking, and related systems.
• Manage dependencies with IT vendors, system owners, and staff trainers; document approvals and handoffs.
• Verify that workflows work in real conditions using sampled checks, corrective action, and 30/60/90-day follow-up.

04 Operational reporting & issue resolution

• Produce timely, accurate dashboards and concise management reports for each practice, with enterprise-level comparisons as appropriate.
• Track agreed metrics such as patient access, scheduling performance, production, collections, and process compliance.
• Convert findings into clearly assigned actions; distinguish accountable ownership from mere reporting or observation.

05 Expansion & strategic projects

• Coordinate operational readiness related to the Timberline Kids Dental expansion, including equipment, IT, training, workflows, and opening dependencies.
• Manage assigned future locations, service-line launches, and cross-functional projects from plan through acceptance.
• Track milestones, budgets, decision points, vendors, and risks; elevate before a deadline or deliverable is compromised.
• Clarify who owns shared business processes and prevent overlapping or contradictory instructions across teams.
• Oversee assigned purchasing, supply coordination, and nonclinical administrative controls within established approval limits.
• Design practical backup coverage and documented handoffs that keep work moving during leadership absences.

Candidate profile & success criteria

Experience and capabilities

• Substantial experience leading business operations, implementation, vendor management, or complex programs; typically 7+ years of progressively accountable work.
• Evidence of managing multiple workstreams, departments, or sites; dental or multisite healthcare experience is strongly preferred, though comparable environments are considered.
• Proven ability to design a process, implement it with teams, audit actual use, and sustain compliance over time.
• Sound budgeting, contract, operational reporting, project management, and executive communication skills.
• Confident and direct, yet collaborative and respectful of experienced site managers, clinicians, and staff.

First 90 days: expected progress

Map the landscape

Assess current recurring issues, priority projects, vendors, technology dependencies, and leadership handoffs.

Establish a workable action tracker, meeting preparation process, owner-level escalation rules, and closure evidence.

03 Take operational ownership

Assume agreed vendor, facilities, reporting-preparation, and project tasks with documented decision rights.

04 Prove sustained adoption

Select several priority procedures and establish baseline checks plus 30/60/90-day verification.

Six-month evidence of success

• Assigned commitments and projects are closed on time, with clear evidence and less repeated owner follow-up.
• Repair and vendor issues are tracked through actual resolution; recurring problems decline.
• Leadership receives reliable, usable data by practice and knows which actions were taken in response.
• Approved workflows remain consistently adopted after rollout, confirmed through periodic sample audits.
• Existing practice managers report less administrative friction and a constructive partnership.