Optometric Director (Optometry Lead) - Contractor

The Community Solution • Wichita, KS

5d

About The Position

KansasCOM, a college of Kansas Health Science University, Inc., seeks a licensed optometrist to serve as Optometric Director for its Rural Health Transformation Program. The program deploys autonomous artificial-intelligence diabetic retinopathy screening at up to seven rural primary-care and Federally Qualified Health Center sites in Kansas, and a robotic telehealth slit lamp at a rural clinical site. The role provides administrative and clinical-quality oversight across participating sites. It does not involve examining, diagnosing, or treating patients or interpreting individual patient images; patient-care decisions remain with treating providers at the sites.

This is a part-time, independent-contractor engagement for a fixed fee of $30,000 over the grant performance period, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Effort is expected to average approximately 0.2 FTE and will vary with project needs, with the greatest effort during site onboarding. The fee is paid in equal monthly installments and is not adjusted according to hours worked. Travel to sites outside Sedgwick County is reimbursed separately at applicable State of Kansas travel rates.

The contractor is responsible for their own taxes and benefits and is not covered by KansasCOM employee benefits or workers’ compensation. The agreement is subject to prior written KDHE approval and federal award requirements, including records retention and access requirements, nondiscrimination, whistleblower notice, and debarment and anti-lobbying certifications. Project-related public materials prepared by the contractor must include the specified funding disclosure and be provided to KansasCOM at least ten days before release for grant-required review.

Applicants must submit a current CV, Kansas optometry license number and verification of good standing, a one-page statement of relevant experience, availability confirmation, and two professional references by email no later than November 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Central. KansasCOM may invite applicants to a brief telephone or video interview. The selected contractor will be screened against federal exclusion lists and may be required to complete CITI training if listed on the IRB-approved protocol, comply with HIPAA and site policies, and submit a conflict-of-interest disclosure. Contractors must carry automobile insurance for vehicles used for site travel. Employees of participating sites must disclose their employment and recuse from KansasCOM decisions concerning that site.

Requirements

• Doctor of Optometry degree and a current, unrestricted Kansas optometry license in good standing.
• Experience practicing in, or in a formal co-management relationship with, an ophthalmology practice, in addition to optometric practice experience.
• Ocular disease management experience, including management or co-management of diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, or other chronic ocular disease consistent with Kansas scope of practice.
• Experience with diabetic eye testing and management, including dilated examination, retinal imaging (fundus photography and/or OCT), grading or interpretation of diabetic retinopathy findings, and coordination with primary care or endocrinology.
• Experience providing eye care to underserved populations, such as in an FQHC, rural health clinic, safety-net hospital, community health program, or comparable setting serving uninsured, Medicaid, or rural patients.
• Must not be excluded or debarred from federal health care or procurement programs.
• Submit a current curriculum vitae, Kansas optometry license number and verification of good standing, a one-page relevant-experience statement, availability confirmation, and two professional references.
• Must disclose employment by a participating site and recuse from KansasCOM decisions concerning that site, if applicable.
• Must carry automobile insurance for any vehicle used for site travel.
• Must comply with HIPAA and participating-site policies, sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure, and complete CITI training if listed on the project’s IRB-approved protocol.

Responsibilities

• Oversee diabetic retinopathy screening quality at participating sites, review image-quality and positive-screen metrics, and recommend corrective action.
• Establish, document, and manage referral workflows for patients with positive or ungradable screening results, including closed-loop tracking of completed referrals and appropriate compliance with scheduled subspecialty appointments.
• Work with site clinical leadership to integrate screening and referral into existing diabetic care-management programs and EHR workflows, and serve as the clinical representative in EHR/IT integration planning.
• Develop and maintain written program-level guidance for site staff on screening-result categories and standard patient-communication language, and support alignment of screening protocols across sites.
• Participate in site onboarding and training with the Clinical Trainer; provide clinical input to the IRB-approved protocol and program evaluation; and contribute to data interpretation, KDHE reports, and dissemination.
• Participate in project team meetings approximately twice monthly.

Benefits

• Travel to sites outside Sedgwick County is reimbursed at actual cost under State of Kansas travel rates; lodging and meals are capped at applicable U.S. GSA per diem rates adopted by the State, and mileage is reimbursed at the State rate.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree