Traveling Lead Dental Assistant

Specialty Dental Brands•Phoenix, AZ

12d•Onsite

About The Position

Specialty Dental Brands is seeking a Traveling Lead Dental Assistant passionate about developing people, strengthening clinical operations, and creating outstanding experiences for patients and providers. This role works directly alongside pediatric dental assistants and practice leaders, providing real-time coaching, reinforcing clinical standards, and helping teams work safely, confidently, and efficiently. The ideal candidate is an exceptional coach and relationship builder who understands patient safety, infection prevention, regulatory requirements, and compliance are non-negotiable, while remaining collaborative and adaptable when evaluating workflows, schedules, provider preferences, and opportunities for improvement. This position is for an experienced pediatric dental professional who enjoys being in the practices, developing high-performing teams, and making a meaningful impact on patient care.

Requirements

Significant hands-on Dental Assistant experience in pediatric dentistry is required.
Prior experience serving in a Lead Dental Assistant, Clinical Lead, or comparable clinical leadership capacity.
Demonstrated success training, coaching, and mentoring Dental Assistants.
Demonstrated ability to successfully prepare and coach Dental Assistants toward required clinical certifications.
Current Arizona Radiologic Proficiency certification or other current Arizona credential required to legally perform dental radiography.
Current Arizona Coronal Polishing certification or other applicable Arizona credential required to perform coronal polishing.
Strong working knowledge of OSHA, infection prevention, sterilization, clinical safety, and dental compliance standards.
Experience conducting or participating in clinical compliance assessments.
Strong knowledge of clinical supply ordering, inventory management, and budget stewardship.
Demonstrated leadership ability with the emotional intelligence to coach individuals with different personalities, experience levels, and learning styles.
Ability to provide direct feedback with patience, professionalism, and respect.
Highly adaptable and comfortable operating in an evolving environment where processes and expectations may continue to develop.
Ability to distinguish between non-negotiable regulatory/compliance requirements and operational areas where multiple effective approaches may exist.
Strong judgment, organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to influence and create accountability without relying on direct reporting authority.
Ability to work independently and appropriately prioritize needs across multiple practice locations.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout the assigned market and to additional supported locations as required.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience working within a Dental Support Organization (DSO) or other corporate dental environment supporting multiple practice locations.
Experience in a Lead Dental Assistant or clinical leadership role within a DSO.
Orthodontic dental assisting experience.
Experience supporting both pediatric and orthodontic clinical teams.
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) credential.
Experience developing or implementing standardized clinical training programs.
Experience supporting multi-location clinical operations.
Experience with clinical performance metrics, time studies, workflow assessments, or process improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Provide hands-on, in-practice coaching and development for Dental Assistants and Lead Dental Assistants.
Assess individual clinical competencies and identify opportunities for additional training and development.
Develop and execute individualized training plans for new and existing Dental Assistants.
Coach assistants in pediatric clinical workflows, including radiography, coronal polishing, charting and clinical documentation, impressions, chairside assisting, treatment setup, room turnover, sterilization, and other permitted clinical functions.
Demonstrate techniques chairside and provide real-time coaching when clinical team members need additional support.
Develop Dental Assistants to anticipate provider needs, prepare appropriately for treatment, minimize unnecessary movement and delays, and remain several steps ahead throughout procedures.
Coach teams on effective communication with patients, parents, providers, and other members of the clinical team.
Partner with Lead Dental Assistants to strengthen their leadership, coaching, accountability, and team-development capabilities.
Support the onboarding and clinical integration of newly hired Dental Assistants.
Establish clear development pathways for team members who need to obtain required certifications.
Coach and prepare team members for required certification examinations and track progress toward successful completion.
Identify high-potential clinical team members and support their continued professional development.
Spend dedicated time working within practices to observe the full clinical patient journey and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and patient experience.
Evaluate how clinical teams respond when patients are ready, review medical histories, obtain diagnostic information, communicate treatment needs, prepare rooms, assist providers, complete documentation, and transition patients through the practice.
Conduct time studies and workflow observations when appropriate to identify bottlenecks, unnecessary steps, or opportunities to improve clinical throughput.
Evaluate room and tray setup to ensure teams are appropriately prepared for scheduled procedures and unnecessary interruptions during treatment are minimized.
Coach assistants on anticipating provider needs and improving chairside efficiency.
Review clinical schedules in partnership with Providers, Office Managers, and the Regional Director to identify opportunities to improve clinical flow and utilization.
Make thoughtful, data-informed recommendations regarding workflow and scheduling while recognizing that practices and providers may have different clinical philosophies and operational needs.
Support implementation of agreed-upon improvements and evaluate whether changes produce the intended result.
Assist practices in building highly productive back-office teams without compromising patient care, safety, or team experience.
Partner closely with the Compliance team to reinforce organizational, state, and federal clinical requirements.
Conduct clinical compliance assessments and identify areas requiring corrective action or additional education.
Maintain a strong working knowledge of OSHA requirements, infection prevention and control standards, sterilization protocols, and applicable state dental regulations.
Ensure appropriate sterilization, infection control, and equipment-maintenance procedures are understood and consistently followed.
Educate clinical team members regarding proper maintenance, cleaning, monitoring, and use of clinical equipment to protect patients and employees and reduce preventable equipment expense.
Review required clinical certifications and identify team members who are not meeting applicable requirements.
Establish immediate development and certification plans when gaps are identified and monitor progress to completion.
Reinforce non-negotiable standards when patient safety, regulatory requirements, organizational compliance, or scope-of-practice requirements are involved.
Escalate significant compliance or patient-safety concerns promptly through appropriate leadership and Compliance channels.
Partner with Office Managers and Lead Dental Assistants to promote effective clinical supply ordering and inventory management.
Coach clinical leaders on maintaining appropriate par levels, reducing unnecessary ordering, limiting waste, and managing supply expense responsibly.
Evaluate clinical supply usage and identify opportunities for greater consistency and cost efficiency.
Support standardization of clinical supplies and ordering practices where appropriate.
Assist practices in balancing appropriate inventory levels with responsible budget management.
Identify preventable equipment repair or replacement costs related to improper maintenance or use and provide education to reduce recurrence.
Partner with Regional and practice leadership in assessing clinical staffing and skill needs.
Participate in interviews and working interviews for Dental Assistant and Lead Dental Assistant candidates as requested.
Assess candidates' clinical competency, including radiographic technique and other applicable clinical skills.
Provide input regarding candidate clinical capability, coachability, leadership potential, and fit for pediatric practice environments.
Support onboarding and early development of newly hired clinical team members.
Assist practices clinically during short-term staffing shortages when appropriate and when doing so supports the broader needs of the market.
Support cross-training initiatives where appropriate to improve flexibility and reduce unnecessary reliance on temporary or contract labor.
Build collaborative relationships with Providers, Office Managers, Lead Dental Assistants, and clinical teams across assigned practices.
Serve as a clinical resource and coach rather than a replacement for practice-level leadership.
Partner with Office Managers when clinical observations intersect with staffing, scheduling, performance, or operational needs.
Respect differing provider philosophies while helping teams identify opportunities to improve clinical execution and efficiency.
Approach operational opportunities with curiosity and collaboration rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all model when multiple appropriate approaches exist.
Communicate observations, recommendations, training needs, and progress to the Regional Director and appropriate practice leadership.
Partner with Compliance when regulatory or patient-safety concerns are identified.
Manage time independently across assigned locations based on practice needs, priorities, and opportunities for impact.