Performance Eyecare | Columbia, Missouri
Love People, Eyewear, Sales, and Staying Productive?
Performance Eyecare is looking for a confident, energetic Optician to join our Columbia team.
This is not a position for someone who wants to sit back, wait for instructions, or only stay busy when patients are standing in front of them. We need a self-starter who enjoys helping people, takes pride in reaching goals, and can find productive ways to improve the office even during slower parts of the week.
Our Columbia office typically has non-doctor days each week. Those days may have a lighter patient schedule, but they are not “nothing to do” days. They are an opportunity to follow up with patients, organize and refresh the optical, learn new products, improve skills, work outstanding orders, help generate appointments, and make the office better than it was the day before.
The right person will bring energy with them instead of waiting for the office to create it.
What Makes This Role Fun?
You will help people find eyewear that improves how they see, how they work, and how they feel about themselves.
One patient may need their first progressive lenses. Another may want a bold new frame, prescription sunglasses, computer glasses, or something durable enough to survive their children. Your job is to ask great questions, learn about their lifestyle, and help them find the right solution.
You will have opportunities to:
- Style patients in eyewear they are excited to wear
- Learn about frames, lenses, coatings, technology, and fashion
- Participate in monthly bonuses and team competitions
- Celebrate office wins and personal growth
- Build genuine relationships with patients
- Develop sales, optical, insurance, and leadership skills
- Bring creative ideas to the office
- Work with a team that believes in working hard and having fun
What You’ll Do
- Help patients select frames that fit their style, prescription, and lifestyle
- Recommend lens options with confidence and explain their value
- Educate patients about progressives, computer lenses, sunglasses, coatings, and specialty eyewear
- Ask questions that uncover work, driving, technology, hobby, and recreational needs
- Explain insurance benefits, promotions, allowances, pricing, and patient balances
- Prepare quotes, take measurements, collect payments, and place accurate orders
- Adjust, repair, dispense, and troubleshoot eyewear
- Follow up on orders, remakes, warranties, and patient concerns
- Help patients schedule appointments and return for needed care
- Support phones, check-in, checkout, pretesting, and patient flow
- Keep the optical clean, organized, stocked, and visually appealing
- Learn independently through training materials, vendor resources, and hands-on practice
- Look for projects and opportunities without waiting to be assigned a task
- Support office sales, service, and patient-experience goals
Slower Days Still Matter
Our ideal candidate understands that initiative is most visible when no one is standing over your shoulder.
On non-doctor days, you may work on:
- Calling patients with outstanding eyewear orders or follow-up needs
- Helping fill future doctor schedules
- Organizing and refreshing frame displays
- Reviewing open orders, remakes, warranties, and balances
- Cleaning up incomplete tasks in our system
- Learning about new frame lines and lens technology
- Practicing adjustments, measurements, and optical skills
- Creating ideas to improve sales and the patient experience
- Completing training without needing repeated reminders
- Asking, “What can I improve next?” instead of, “What should I do now?”
We want someone who can be trusted to use their time well and who feels proud of what they accomplish, even on a quiet day.
You May Be a Great Fit If You…
- Have a fun, positive personality and enjoy talking with people
- Are motivated by goals, results, and friendly competition
- Like staying busy and creating your own momentum
- Can work independently without constant supervision
- Take initiative and follow projects through to completion
- Enjoy learning and will actively seek answers when you do not know something
- Are comfortable recommending products and asking for the sale
- Can explain prices, insurance benefits, discounts, and balances clearly
- Notice details and care about accuracy
- Stay calm and kind when the office becomes busy
- Bring ideas, solutions, and a willingness to help
- Accept coaching without becoming defensive
- Want to become excellent at what you do
- Believe there is always something useful to learn, improve, clean up, or complete
This Probably Isn’t the Right Position If You…
- Need to be given a new task every time you finish something
- Spend slow periods waiting for the day to end
- Avoid sales conversations or discussing money
- Are uncomfortable being measured against goals
- Lose interest when the office is not busy
- Regularly say, “That’s not my job”
- Expect growth without putting effort into learning
We are happy to train the right person, but we cannot train initiative, curiosity, or work ethic.
Experience
Optical experience is preferred, but we will consider a motivated candidate with experience in:
- Sales
- Retail
- Hospitality
- Customer service
- Medical offices
- Insurance or benefit verification
- Fashion, styling, or product consultation
Experience with RevolutionEHR is helpful but not required.
Our Culture
Performance Eyecare is a growing, people-focused optometry practice. We work hard, celebrate wins, support one another, and believe the patient experience matters just as much as the eye exam.
Our PERFICARE values guide how we work:
Positive. Enthusiastic. Reliable. Flexible. Inquisitive. Caring. Accountable. Respectful. Empowered.
We believe great team members do not wait to be told how to make a difference. They see an opportunity, take ownership, and help move the office forward.
Schedule and Benefits
- Full-time or Part-time position
- Monday through Friday
- No regular weekends
- Competitive pay based on experience
- Monthly bonus opportunities
- Quarterly team bonus opportunities
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Health, dental, life, and other insurance options
- 401(k) with company match
- Free eye exams
- Employee and family eyewear benefits
- Training and professional growth opportunities
- Team outings, celebrations, and recognition
Ready to Join Us?
Send us your resume and tell us why you are the kind of person who can create energy, connect with patients, learn independently, and find a way to make even a slow day productive.
We are looking for more than someone who can fill an opening. We want someone who is excited to grow, contribute, have fun, and help make our Columbia office exceptional.
Pay: $18.00 - $23.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Bereavement leave
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Family leave
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- A patient recently purchased progressive lenses but is complaining they don't see their best. What steps do you take to troubleshoot before requesting they see the doctor for an Rx check?
- The doctor hands off a patient and says there was no change in their prescription. How would you continue the conversation with the patient to uncover lifestyle needs, educate them on options, and recommend eyewear that could still improve their daily life?
- Tell us about your favorite patient or customer sales interaction. What made it successful, what did you recommend, and what was the outcome?
Work Location: In person
