Dental Practice Manager

Experienced Dental Practice Manager / Director of Practice Operations
Full-Time | Private Dental Practice | Naperville, Illinois
We are seeking an exceptionally experienced Dental Practice Manager / Director of Practice Operations to serve as the senior administrative and operational leader of our private dental practice.

This is not a traditional front-office manager position, and it is not intended as the next step for someone looking to move into practice management.

We are specifically seeking someone who has already demonstrated success independently managing the day-to-day operations of a dental practice.

Our goal is to find a long-term leader whom the doctor can trust to take genuine ownership of the business side of the practice—someone capable of leading the team, managing operations, overseeing financial performance, solving problems, making sound decisions, and maintaining an exceptional patient experience without requiring constant direction or oversight.

Simply put: we are looking for someone who knows how to run a dental practice.

The Person We Are Looking For
The right person is an experienced dental leader who combines excellent judgment, strong business acumen, high emotional intelligence, exceptional communication skills, and genuine compassion for people.

You are someone who naturally takes ownership.

You notice problems before they are brought to your attention. You investigate them, determine the appropriate solution, and follow through.

You are comfortable making decisions independently and understand which decisions appropriately belong to the doctor.

You can lead a team with both kindness and accountability.

You are not afraid of difficult conversations, but you handle them professionally and respectfully.

You understand the financial health of a dental practice and are comfortable analyzing numbers, identifying trends, and taking action when something is not performing as it should.

You communicate exceptionally well and can confidently interact with patients, employees, doctors, vendors, insurance companies, and outside professionals.

Most importantly, you can be trusted—with our patients, our employees, our finances, our culture, and our practice.

This Role Requires True Dental Practice Management Experience
The Practice Manager will have broad responsibility for the nonclinical operation of the practice, including:
Overall day-to-day practice operations
Team leadership and accountability
Employee scheduling and staffing
Recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training
Performance management, coaching, corrective action, and difficult employee conversations
Maintaining a healthy, positive, high-performing team culture
Doctor and hygiene schedule optimization
Patient scheduling and practice flow
Patient experience and service standards
Handling complex or sensitive patient concerns
Treatment coordination and financial discussions
Dental insurance processes and claims oversight
Accounts receivable and collections
Patient billing
Production and collection monitoring
Insurance A/R and aging
Adjustments, refunds, and write-offs
Payroll and labor-cost awareness
Practice KPIs and financial reporting
Vendor relationships
Practice systems, policies, and procedures
Operational problem-solving
Identifying inefficiencies and implementing solutions
Ensuring important responsibilities do not fall through the cracks
Maintaining appropriate administrative and compliance systems
Communicating important information to the doctor without unnecessarily involving the doctor in routine operational matters
You should be capable of understanding what is happening throughout the practice without needing the doctor to identify problems for you.

What Success Looks Like
Success in this position means the doctor does not need to manage the manager.

When something needs attention, you notice it.

When a problem arises, you work toward a solution.

When an employee needs guidance, you provide it.

When accountability is necessary, you address it.

When the schedule develops openings, you have a plan.

When collections change, you understand why.

When A/R begins increasing, you investigate it.

When a patient is unhappy, you know how to listen, communicate, de-escalate, and determine the appropriate next step.

When the doctor is away from the office, the practice continues to operate smoothly.

And when something truly requires the owner's involvement, you recognize it and communicate it clearly.

Leadership Matters as Much as Experience
We are not looking for someone who manages through intimidation, negativity, or authority alone.

We want a leader whom employees respect and patients genuinely like and trust.

Our ideal manager:
Leads by example
Works hard and expects the same from others
Has exceptionally high emotional intelligence
Is compassionate without avoiding accountability
Is calm and effective under pressure
Communicates directly and respectfully
Can navigate different personalities
Does not participate in workplace drama or gossip
Understands confidentiality and professional boundaries
Is comfortable having difficult conversations
Gives employees clear expectations
Recognizes and develops talented people
Addresses problems rather than allowing resentment to build
Creates an environment where people enjoy coming to work while maintaining high standards
Never believes that something important is “not my job”
We want someone who understands that a happy team and a well-run business are not competing priorities. Great leadership creates both.

Business & Financial Acumen
The successful candidate should be comfortable reviewing and understanding practice performance, including areas such as:
Production
Collections
Collection percentage
Total A/R and aging
Insurance A/R
Outstanding claims
Schedule utilization
Unscheduled treatment
Cancellations and no-shows
Treatment acceptance
New-patient activity
Patient retention/reactivation
Hygiene performance
Adjustments and write-offs
Payroll and staffing costs
Other relevant practice KPIs
You do not need to be an accountant, but you should understand what the numbers mean, how they relate to one another, and when they indicate a problem requiring attention.

Required Qualifications
Applicants should have significant prior experience independently managing a dental practice.

We are specifically interested in candidates who can demonstrate experience with:
Overall dental practice management
Direct employee management
Hiring, coaching, performance management, and accountability
Dental scheduling and practice flow
Dental insurance and claims
Accounts receivable and collections
Patient financial discussions
Practice financial reporting and KPIs
Handling difficult patient situations
Implementing systems and improving operations
Making independent management decisions
Working directly with a dentist/practice owner
Experience supervising only one area of a dental practice—such as insurance, billing, scheduling, treatment coordination, or front desk—is not equivalent to the management experience required for this position.

The Opportunity
This is an important leadership position within our practice, and we are willing to be patient in finding the right person.

We are looking for someone who wants to become an integral part of the practice for the long term—not simply someone looking for their next job.

The right individual will have meaningful responsibility, autonomy, and the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the practice, our team, and our patients.

If you are an experienced dental practice leader who has already been trusted to independently manage a dental office and you take pride in creating an organized, financially healthy, patient-centered practice with an exceptional team culture, we would love to hear from you.

Pay: $30.00 - $35.00 per hour
Expected hours: 38.0 per week
Benefits:
401(k) matching
Employee discount
Paid time off
Education:
High school or equivalent (Required)
Experience:
dental office management: 5 years (Required)
Work Location: In person