Supervisory Dental Assistant

The Supervisory Dental Assistant position with the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center is located in Jackson, MS. This position plans and completes tasks based on established protocols/accepted dental practices. The Supervisory Dental Assistant informs the Dental Chief and Administrative Officer of problems or unusual situations with recommendations for appropriate action.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Supervisory Dental Assistant's work is reviewed on an overall basis by the Dental Chief for conformity to Dental Service policy and requirements. The Supervisory Dental Assistant duties include but are not limited to:

• Oversees and directs the daily operations of a comprehensive dental assisting program, supervising a team of dental assistants.
• Provides advanced technical and clinical guidance to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of dental care across all specialty areas, including general dentistry, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implantology.
• Exercises full supervisory authority, including planning and assigning work, setting and adjusting priorities, evaluating work performance, and ensuring timely and accurate completion of assigned duties.
• Oversees daily clinical operations, allocates resources based on workload demands, and reassigns staff as necessary to meet patient care priorities.
• Assesses individual and team competency, identifies developmental needs, and implements progressive performance improvement strategies.
• Resolves employee concerns, initiates and documents corrective actions, and prepares performance standards, appraisals, and improvement plans.
• Serves as the subject matter expert and lead dental assistant for all clinical and technical procedures performed within the Dental Service.
• Conducts staff training and competency assessments to ensure uniform adherence to SOPs, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
• Manages the daily scheduling and coordination of dental assistant assignments, ensuring coverage and operational efficiency across all clinical areas.
• Monitors clinic operations, identifies barriers to productivity, and implements process improvements to enhance patient care access, workflow optimization, and performance on National Dental Program metrics.
• Ensures all dental equipment and instruments are properly functioning and available for clinical use.
• Serves as the primary instructor and content expert for all training related to the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) dental modules and digital imaging software.
• Initiates maintenance requests, tracks work orders electronically, and coordinates with Biomedical Engineering to ensure timely repair or replacement of equipment.
• Leads recruitment and selection processes for dental assistant vacancies, including conducting interviews and making recommendations for appointment, promotion, and reassignment.
• Assists with complex dental procedures, including oral and maxillofacial surgeries, periodontal therapies, endodontic treatments, prosthodontic fabrications, and implant-supported restorations.
• Enforces compliance and escalates any instances of noncompliance to the Dental Service Chief or designee.
• Maintains accountability for the team's contributions toward national dental performance measures, quality indicators, and patient satisfaction outcomes.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 4:00pm; OR 8:00am - 4:30pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 586-02088F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Dental Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Experience and Education:
  • Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work., OR
  • Education. Successful completion of a 1 year Dental Assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)., OR
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
• Certification. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, they must have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation, and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, and be certified as radiographers in their field.
• Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence:
  • Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., OR
  • Successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations developed by the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry., OR
  • Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense.
• Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a Graduate Dental Assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(D). Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. This will result in removal from the GS-681 series and may result in termination of employment.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: The experience and Knowledge, Skill, Abilities (KSAs) required below must be evident in your resume.

GS-08 Supervisory Dental Assistant
Experience: At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. AND,
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*).
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
a. Advanced knowledge of dental assisting across multiple areas of practice, and the demonstrated ability to provide guidance to staff dental assistants.
b. Skill in coordinating clinical work flow and assignments.
c. Ability to assist the Chief in Dental Clinic operations related to policy development, equipment requests and workload analysis.
d. Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative work relationships.
e. Ability to analyze clinically appropriate data effectively to optimize quality, performance, and productivity within section.
f. (*) Ability to perform supervisory functions such as assessing competency, providing performance appraisals and managing training.


Preferred Experience: Five (5) years of management experience over 10 people or more.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.