Summary

The Staff Dentist position within DHS IHSC provides direct patient care, oversees dental auxiliary staff, and supports the local chief dentist in clinical and administrative tasks. Duties include managing dental operations, ensuring safety protocols, and participating in quality improvement initiatives. Requires DDS/DMD, unrestricted license, 3+ years clinical experience, and strong oral surgery skills.

This position is only open to USPHS officers and Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer or USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidate. Civilians are not eligible for this position.

Duties

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serves as clinical team leader for 1-2 auxiliary staff. Distributes and balances the clinical workload, schedules timely accomplishment of tasks, provides instruction related to clinical procedures, and exercises clinical oversight for team members. Contributes to staff clinical orientation, training, and competency testing.
Provides emergent, urgent, and routine oral health care for medically and dentally complicated patient population at complex facility with 1000 or greater capacity. Exercises independent judgment in making treatment decisions. Exhibits flexibility to formulate new approaches for unusual circumstances in the presence of incomplete or conflicting findings. Monitors appropriateness of care provided by auxiliary staff. Establishes and directs auxiliary clinical schedule to ensure timely access to care. Performs electronic health record documentation and forms management. Proper judgment is required to prevent serious delays in provision of dental services and avoid adverse impact on the health status of thousands of patients processed through facility.
Serves as the acting local chief dentist during his/her absence. During tenure as acting local chief dentist the incumbent serves as the responsible dental health authority for the facility on behalf of the health services administrator. The periodic acting role requires collaboration with multiple stakeholders including IHSC, ICE, and detention staff to plan and administer all aspects of dental unit operations: patient care, budget, management, scheduling, staffing, training, evaluations, supplies, equipment, and maintenance. Assists the local chief dentist with preparation for 5+ recurring independent accreditations and reviews.
Participates in dental clinic environmental health and safety protocols including hazardous materials management, radiation safety, and sharps/instruments safety in accordance with IHSC policy. Assures optimum sterilization and disinfection procedures in the dental clinic in accordance with IHSC policy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Facility resource on dental care and dental clinic operations. Provides initial and annual dental training to qualified health care professionals as necessary.
Participates in local and national quality improvement initiatives.
Utilizes extensive knowledge base and independent judgement to serve as a project officer for tasks as assigned (e.g., equipment acquisitions, training program development, and policy and procedure revisions and development). Attends national dental teleconferences, agency teleconferences, and local duty station meetings. Collects, organizes, and submits dental data as requested.
Position may require up to 30% TDY travel to support mission critical staffing. Serves as the acting local chief dentist responsible for all clinic operations and administrative tasks when TDY at sites without a dentist.
Other duties as assigned in support of the local medical unit and/or IHSC dental program.
Adheres to IHSC policies, procedures, directives, operational memoranda, and accreditation standards as prescribed by ICE and IHSC.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
You must successfully pass a background investigation.
You must successfully pass a drug screen.
Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve an 18 to 24-month commitment to IHSC.
ASSIGNMENT PAY AGREEMENT: You must not have a current Assignment Pay Agreement. However, if you have a current Assignment Pay Agreement, it must be fulfilled within 90 days of your application submission.
Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer or USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidate. Civilians are not eligible for this position.
PHS officers must participate in IHSC TDY On-Call Schedule (ITOS.) ITOS is either an entire month or two 16-day periods a year where, depending on the needs of the agency, the officer is required to be available to serve.

Qualifications

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This position is considered hazardous duty in a detention setting.
Requires physical exertion such as lifting objects greater than 30 pounds.
Required to perform CPR/emergency care standing or kneeling.
Must have the ability to assist sick, injured or aging patients or staff exiting the building (may require lifting, dragging, wheeling or carrying someone who weighs significantly more than self).
Work necessitates some physical characteristics that will be required when responding to an emergency situation, such as running short distance, prolonged standing and working in an austere environment.

Education

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Graduate from a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) program accredited by American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation located in a State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
Possess and maintain a current unrestricted license to practice dentistry in a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
Minimum 3 years clinical experience.
Knowledge of dental science such as oral anatomy, oral physiology, restorative dentistry, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery (note: strong oral surgery skills and experience are required).
Competent in use of equipment, materials, and supplies in dental diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Expertise in dental clinic environmental health, infection control, patient/staff safety protocols, quality assurance, documentation, and data management.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and dental software programs.
Continuous BLS certification required.
Ability to respond to and oversee medical emergencies.

Additional information

This is a U.S. Public Health Service position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Clinical Services Division, Medical Services Unit, Dental Program. This is a non-supervisory position.

As the staff dentist advanced, the incumbent is responsible for the delivery of direct patient care and clinical oversight of the dental auxiliary staff for a larger unique immigration dental program. The staff dentist advanced is expected to support the local chief dentist in performing a variety of clinical and administrative tasks directed towards the maintenance of access to oral health care services within prescribed policy and accreditation standards.

ICE Health Service Corps administered and managed a health care system that provided direct care to over 88,000 detainees housed at 21 designated facilities throughout the nation. The health care provided includes medical, dental, and mental health care, and public health services. IHSC also provides medical case management and oversight for an additional 169,000 detainees housed at approximately 150 non-IHSC-staffed facilities across the country. In addition, IHSC oversees the financial authorization and payment for off-site specialty and emergency care services for detainees in ICE custody. In Fiscal Year 2021, there were a total of 205,242 individuals in ICE custody, with an average length of stay of 37 days. IHSC also provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground and at sea.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The first line supervisor for the staff dentist advanced is the local chief dentist and the reviewing official is the regional dental consultant. Assignments are usually long-term, recurring, or broadly defined. The staff dentist advanced plans and organizes own work, determines the sequence of assignments, selects and develops methods, and seeks assistance from experts and supervisor only rarely. Completed work is only periodically evaluated for technical soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to professional standards and PHS requirements. Procedures for performing some work are established, but the incumbent has significant independence to implement changes to benefit facility operations and detainee health. In cases where IHSC policies and guides are non-specific, the incumbent is required to exercise judgment in the selection and application of appropriate guidelines and originality in developing appropriate solutions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. You may be selected for an interview at the hiring authority's discretion. You will be notified of selection or non-selection.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position. A complete application includes:

U. S. Public Health Service Officers

Cover Letter/Letter of Interest.
Degrees. (Place under "Diploma/GED")
Professional license. (If applicable)
Additional professional certificates. (If applicable)
Three professional references. (i.e., name, title and contact information)
Official USPHS Promotion CV - e.g., relevant experience, education, training. (Place under "USPHS Promotion CV")
- You may provide a civilian resume in addition to the USPHS Promotion CV to capture all relevant work experience.
A copy of your Certificate of Investigation (located in your eOPF).
*Three most recent Commissioned Officer Effectiveness Reports (COER). (Place under "Performance Appraisal")
For IHSC USPHS officers only, a copy of your current Service Remaining Requirements Agreement.
Indicate if you have an Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement and the date of the end of your AP Agreement. If you do not, please submit a memo attesting to no AP in the Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement section in the documents section of application.

New Call to Active Duty

Cover letter/Letter of Interest. Please include location preference here.
Degrees. (Place under "Diploma/GED")
Professional license. (If applicable)
Additional professional certificates. (If applicable)
Three professional references (i.e., name, title, and contact information)
CV - e.g., relevant experience, education, training. (Place under "USPHS Promotion CV")
U.S. Public Health Service - Appointment Board Decision Letter/Email or a screenshot of AES dashboard to the United States Public Health Service

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must submit the required documentation outlined under the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section below.

The complete initial Application must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/05/2025.

PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.

Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. If you need further assistance, contact the Human Resources Office representative listed on this announcement at least one day prior to the closing date for further instructions.

Agency contact information

IHSC Recruiting

Email: IHSCrecruiting@ice.dhs.gov

Address: ERO-DRO-IHSC Public Health Service
500 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20536
US

Next steps

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer within 60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. View more information on applying for federal employment.

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