Senior Director of Operations and Patient Experience

DescriptionJoin our team as Senior Director of Operations and Patient Experience! This senior leadership role provides strategic and hands-on leadership across Community Dental Care’s five dental clinics. The Senior Director of Operations and Patient Experience leads efforts to strengthen operational excellence, patient access and experience, revenue-cycle performance, people development, and technology-enabled improvement.

This role ensures the patient journey - from scheduling and registration through treatment completion and payment - is efficient, consistent, accessible, and patient-centered. The ideal leader is equally comfortable working at the strategic level and engaging directly with clinic teams to identify problems, implement solutions, and measure results.

Who We Are

Community Dental Care is Minnesota's largest provider of comprehensive dental care for people of all ages on public programs. We operate five clinics across the state, including the Twin Cities, Rochester, and Buffalo.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for patient experience and front-end revenue-cycle operations across all five clinic locations
Partner with organizational leadership to support patient experience, access, growth, and financial sustainability
Optimize scheduling, registration, recalls, waitlists, cancellations, and patient follow-up to maximize patient access and clinic capacity
Establish patient experience service standards that promote access, responsiveness, clear communication, accurate patient information, and a positive patient experience
Develop systems to monitor patient feedback, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure timely follow-up and resolution
Ensure processes effectively support patients facing financial, transportation, language, technology, or other barriers to care
Lead front-end revenue-cycle operations, including scheduling, registration, eligibility and benefits verification, authorizations, patient and insurance information intake, claims submission, and patient payment processes
Partner with Finance, Billing, Clinical, and other leaders to address barriers to reimbursement and collections and improve revenue-cycle performance
Establish and monitor operational and revenue-cycle KPIs; use data to identify trends, drive accountability, and measure results
Create a culture of continuous improvement by identifying bottlenecks, duplication, errors, and unnecessary administrative work
Standardize best practices and develop clear workflows, policies, and standard operating procedures across all clinics
Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives from assessment through implementation and measurement, engaging frontline employees in identifying problems and developing solutions
Identify and implement opportunities to use technology, automation, AI, analytics, and other tools to improve efficiency, accuracy, productivity, and patient experience
Partner with IT and organizational leadership to evaluate and implement technology solutions while ensuring appropriate training, change management, and responsible use of AI and automation
Lead, coach, and develop team members and managers to improve performance, accountability, and customer service
Establish clear goals, expectations, and consistent management practices while supporting employee engagement, training, retention, career development, and succession planning in partnership with HR
Build a culture that balances accountability, employee support, teamwork, and service excellence
Ensure operational practices comply with applicable federal and Minnesota requirements, payer requirements, contracts, and organizational policies
Partner with Clinical and Compliance leaders on quality, patient safety, privacy, documentation, audits, and risk management
Serve as a key member of the leadership team and translate organizational strategy into measurable operational priorities
Partner with Clinical, Finance, HR, IT, and other leaders on organizational planning, growth, infrastructure, and process improvements
Recommend investments in people, technology, infrastructure, and processes that support a scalable, patient-centered, and financially sustainable operating model
Travel regularly among Community Dental Care’s five Minnesota locations

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, public health, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered
7+ years of progressive healthcare operations leadership experience, preferably in dental, community health, nonprofit, safety-net, or other mission-driven healthcare settings
Experience leading multiple locations and geographically distributed teams
Strong understanding of healthcare revenue-cycle operations, including scheduling, registration, eligibility, claims, denials, collections, and accounts receivable
Demonstrated success improving processes and implementing standardized workflows across multiple sites
Experience developing and managing clinic managers and frontline teams
Strong understanding of patient access, scheduling, productivity, and patient experience
Ability to use data and KPIs to drive decisions, accountability, and continuous improvement
Experience implementing technology, automation, or other tools to improve operations
Strong communication, change-management, problem-solving, and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in healthcare administration, business, public health, or a related field
Dental practice operations or dental revenue-cycle experience
Experience with Medicaid/public programs and uninsured or self-pay populations
Experience in an FQHC, community dental program, nonprofit, or safety-net healthcare organization
Experience with dental practice management and EHR systems
Experience implementing AI, automation, RPA, analytics, or other emerging technologies in healthcare
Experience leading operational transformations, clinic openings, or organizational growth

Skills & Abilities

Systems thinker who understands how operations, staffing, clinical workflows, technology, revenue cycle, and patient experience intersect
Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and people-development skills
Strong process improvement and project management skills
Ability to analyze operational data and performance metrics to identify problems and measure results
Strong change-management and problem-solving skills
Ability to build collaborative relationships across departments and locations
Ability to use technology, automation, and AI pragmatically to improve work and reduce administrative burden
Excellent communication, organization, and customer-service skills

What We Offer

These benefit highlights are just a glimpse of our total rewards package, which includes a wide range of benefits and resources designed to support our employees both personally and professionally.

Meaningful work where your contributions make an impact, supported by a collaborative team committed to growth and success
Comprehensive medical, dental, and life insurance coverage
Paid time off and holiday pay to support work-life balance
401(k) retirement plan with a generous company matching contribution

About Us

At Community Dental Care, we provide high-quality dental care in a caring, culturally respectful manner. Our team of more than 300 employees is committed to our mission and seeks to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. We value our staff and equip them with the tools and training needed to be successful.

Community Dental Care is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recognize that our diversity makes us stronger and empowers us to serve our patients in a culturally sensitive manner.