Sierra Dental is seeking an experienced Lead Dental Assistant or RDA who can provide excellent chairside care while helping create a safe, organized, and consistently prepared clinical environment.
This is a hands-on clinical leadership position in a privately owned, technology-focused dental practice. You will work directly with one doctor and help guide the daily performance and development of our assisting team.
We need someone who already demonstrates strong clinical judgment, infection-control discipline, initiative, and the ability to anticipate what is needed. This is not an entry-level position.
Schedule
- Sierra Dental operates under an established alternative workweek schedule.
- Full-time, approximately 32-36 hours per week
- Monday through Thursday
- Reliable attendance at our 8:10 a.m. morning huddle is required
- Approximately one occasional half-Friday per month
- Predictable three-day weekends most weeks
Compensation
- $30-$34 per hour, based on demonstrated experience, credentials, and capabilities
- Paid working interview
- Paid continuing education when approved
- Benefits according to eligibility and practice policy
Benefits
- CalSavers payroll-deduction retirement savings program
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
CalSavers is employee-funded. Sierra Dental does not provide a 401(k) or employer retirement contribution.
Primary clinical responsibilities
- Independently preparing operatories, instruments, materials, and equipment before treatment
- Chairside assisting for composites, crowns, bridges, CEREC, and other restorative procedures
- Supporting surgical and implant procedures
- Taking consistently diagnostic digital radiographs within legal scope
- Intraoral scanning and clinical photography
- Supporting CEREC and same-day restorative workflows
- Supporting implant restorative procedures
- Completing SureSmile records and assisting with aligner appointments
- Supporting sleep-appliance workflows
- Maintaining efficient room turnover and sterilization flow
- Ensuring clinical areas are stocked, organized, and ready
- Identifying missing records, materials, laboratory items, or setup components before the patient is seated
- Completing accurate clinical-to-front-office handoffs
Lead responsibilities
- Helping coordinate daily back-office readiness and workflow
- Reinforcing infection-control and patient-safety standards
- Training and supporting developing assistants through demonstration, supervised practice, and respectful feedback
- Identifying recurring workflow problems and helping develop practical solutions
- Monitoring clinical supplies and maintaining inventory controls
- Communicating equipment, staffing, safety, and workflow concerns promptly
- Helping the clinical team become more organized, predictable, and capable
- Closing assigned loops and verifying that required outcomes were completed
The person we are looking for
A strong candidate:
- Anticipates procedural needs without repeated prompting
- Maintains patient-safety and infection-control standards consistently
- Takes ownership and follows through
- Notices problems early and communicates them promptly
- Remains calm and organized when the schedule changes
- Gives clear, respectful feedback to other assistants
- Communicates warmly and professionally with patients
- Understands that preparation, timing, handoffs, documentation, cleanup, and verification are part of completing the work
- Reduces the amount of supervision and rescue required from the doctor
Qualifications
- At least three years of substantial chairside dental-assisting experience preferred
- Current legal qualifications to take dental radiographs in California required
- California RDA or RDAEF2 strongly preferred
- Demonstrated independent restorative-assisting experience required
- Strong knowledge of infection control and cross-contamination prevention required
- Prior experience training, supervising, or guiding other assistants strongly preferred
- Dependable attendance and punctuality required
- Availability for the stated Monday-through-Thursday schedule and occasional Friday required
Experience with CEREC, PrimeScan, implants, oral surgery, intraoral scanning, clinical photography, expanded functions, inventory systems, equipment coordination, orthodontic aligners, or Open Dental is especially valuable.
Hiring process
Qualified applicants may be invited to a brief telephone interview, structured in-person interview, reference and license verification, and a paid working interview. A working interview does not guarantee an employment offer.
Work location: In person in Atascadero, California
Pay: $30.00 - $34.00 per hour
Expected hours: 32.0 – 36.0 per week
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Application Question(s):
- 1. Are you currently legally qualified to take dental radiographs in California?
- 2. How many years of chairside dental-assisting experience do you have?
- 3. Can you reliably attend an 8:10 a.m. huddle and work Monday through Thursday, with approximately one occasional half-Friday per month?
- 4. Briefly describe your experience training, supervising, or helping improve the performance of other dental assistants.
- 5. Briefly describe a clinical, infection-control, or workflow problem you personally identified and helped correct.
Work Location: In person
