Summary
VA Bedford Healthcare is seeking a Chief for our Dental Service. The Chief, Dental Service provides overall leadership, clinical direction, and administrative oversight for the Dental Service, ensuring high-quality, Veteran-centered care, staff education and training, and efficient use of resources. The Chief plans, directs, coordinates, provides, and continuously improves dental health services responsive to Veteran needs and Medical Center goals.
Duties
The Dental Chief allocates up to 60% effort to direct patient care and 40% to administrative duties and the department is organizationally aligned as an independent Service Line under the Deputy Chief of Staff. The Chief is accountable to the VHA Bedford HCS Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) and collaborates with facility leadership to achieve strategic objectives Clinical duties (~60%) include: Oral and radiographic examinations; diagnosis of pathological or irregular oral conditions. Administration of local anesthesia; routine and complex restorations. Simple extractions and routine surgical procedures. Other evaluations and procedures as approved by the VHA Bedford HCS Credentials and Privileging process. Administrative duties (~40%) include: Developing and implementing Dental Service policies, procedures, and performance improvement activities. Participating in strategic, operational, and programmatic planning; setting long- and short-term goals. Ensuring compliance with oversight and regulatory standards (e.g., Joint Commission, OSHA, CAP, OIG). Overseeing resource allocation, staffing, equipment acquisition, and space management. Establishing program monitors and outcome measures; using data-driven quality assurance processes. Ensuring timely completion of evaluations, including performance evaluations for supervised staff, and required documentation (Medical Center, VISN, VACO). Chairing/serving on committees, workgroups, and systems redesign projects as assigned by VAMC leadership. Preparing requests for funding and grant proposals as needed. Complying with procurement and approving official responsibilities per VHA Handbook 1730.01 and applicable Federal/VA/local regulations. Reports to the Deputy Chief of Staff, VHA Bedford HCS. Receives broad guidance and is responsible for planning and executing assignments, directing the work of others, resolving conflicts, and developing methods and policy interpretations on own initiative. Completed work is reviewed for soundness of overall approach and effectiveness in meeting requirements. Supervises dentists, dental hygienists, assistants, and clerical staff; manages performance plans, competency, continuing education, and personnel actions. Meets the needs of Veterans while supporting VA missions; consistently communicates and treats Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and VA staff with courtesy, tact, and respect. Provides consistent information according to established policy; handles conflicts constructively; empowers staff to resolve issues at the lowest level; and encourages creativity in service improvement. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: As determined by the agency policy. Ad-hoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Education
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
How you will be evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.