FT Dental Program Assistant

Salary: $65,169.24 Annually
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: Dental Program Asst. - 25
Closing: 1/12/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Location: Norwalk, CA
Department: Dental Program Asst. - 25
Division: Health Occupations

Description

Equity and Diversity
The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal opportunity employment. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures or practices. In fact, the college encourages applications from all segments of qualified people.

Closing Date
This position will close on January 12th, 2026 at 11:59 PM (or when 150 applications are received, whichever occurs sooner).

College Profile
Cerritos College is ranked 14th among the top 100 schools with the highest Hispanic enrollment in the United States by the United States Department of Education. Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college's district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Enrollment currently averages 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at
Department Profile
The Health Occupations Division houses the Child Development, Culinary Arts, Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Medical Assisting, Nursing, Pharmacy Technology, Physical Therapy Assisting, and Speech Language Pathology Assisting Programs and trains students to obtain associate's degrees and certificates in these fields.

Summary
Under the general supervision of the Instructional Dean, the Dental Program Support Assistant is responsible for assisting in the day-to-day dental program operations.

Distinguishing Characteristics
The Dental Program Support Assistant is a paraprofessional position that requires specialized knowledge of and experience in the dental field. The Dental Program Support Assistant is a semi- professional level class with more program accountability and program services involvement.

Job Duties

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Handles phone calls in a professional and business-like manner; schedules patient appointments; tracks how patients hear about the clinic and monitors patient records for accuracy.
• Communicates patient records with community clinics, dental schools, and private dental offices; assists students, faculty, and patients as needed in the clinic; and performs a wide variety of support services for personnel, student, and patient matters.
• Participates in college activities such as student functions, open houses, student orientations, continuing education courses, and graduation exercises.
• Collaborates with the faculty, staff, and others as designated by the Instructional Dean with dental program related assignments and tasks.
• Assists patients who enter and exit the onsite and offsite Dental Clinics.
• Handles large volumes of sensitive information concerning patient, student, staff, and faculty.
• Composes internal and external correspondence and reports for the Dental programs.
• Distributes incoming information such as medical consultations to appropriate students or faculty.
• Assures care and maintenance of dental equipment and supplies.
• Maintains the displays and websites within the dental departments with current information and/or items of special interest to patients and students.
• Responds to routine and non-routine dental program inquiries.
• Maintains inventory of clinic related materials and distributes dental program information and supplies as requested and needed for internal and external events.
• Assists students, faculty, and staff in patient related issues with the accompanying accurate and detailed documentation of the issues.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent required.
• Must have documented continuing education dated within the previous two years to include a minimum of:
  
  
  • A Dental Board of California (DBC)-approved eight-hour course in infection control.
  • A DBC-approved two-hour course in the Dental Practice Act.
  • Current certification in basic life support.
    
    
• Health certifications for an OSHA Category I classified position (potential for exposure to infectious diseases at work).
• Two years of dental office experience performing direct and indirect patient-related duties.
• Reception and telephone communication skills and techniques.
• Written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Knowledge of patient electronic record keeping, and maintenance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA), Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH). RDA, CDA, and/or RDH.
• 1 year of experience in administrative or program support capacity.
• Background experience in working with databases, extracting data, and working with informational systems.
• Knowledge of accreditation requirements, healthcare systems, clinical site requirements for health programs, and immunization standards.

Supplemental Information

Knowledge and Skills
The position requires knowledge of dental terminology, anatomy, procedures, instruments, and infection control practices. It also requires understanding ofdental program curricula, accreditation standards, and student competencies, as well as familiarity with educational and administrative processes such as enrollment, scheduling, advising, and record-keeping. In addition, the role requires knowledge of health and safety regulations, including OSHA, HIPAA, patient confidentiality, and infection control protocols. The position requires strong communication, customer service, and support skills to effectively support students, faculty, and clinical partners with professionalism. It also demands organizational, technical, and problem-solving abilities to manage schedules, records, software systems, and logistical challenges. Attention to detail is essential for maintaining accurate data, ensuring compliance with accreditation standards, and supporting program operations efficiently.

Abilities
Must be able to learn, interpret, explain and apply knowledge of College and department organization, operations, programs, functions and special department terminology to relieve an administrator or program director of a variety of administrative detail. Requires the ability to plan, organize and prioritize work in order to meet schedules and timelines. Requires the ability to communicate with faculty, students, staff, and the public. Ability to handle sensitive student and patient information responsibly and disueetly. Requires the ability to work cooperatively and productively with others.

Physical Abilities
The following required physical abilities may be met with or without reasonable accommodations: r Requires ambulatory ability to walk and stand for intermittent periods of time. o Must be able to recognize printed material (printed or online) for more thanTlo/o of the expected work time. o The person in this position frequently communicates with members of the campus community. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. . Operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer. o Requires the ability to lift, push, and pull objects of medium weight (less than 25 lbs.) on an occasional basis.

Licenses and Certificates
Requires a valid Driver's License.

Working Conditions
Work is performed in an office environment engaged in work of a primarily sedentary nature with some requirement to move about the campus where minimal safety considerations exist.

Salary/Fringe Benefits
Grade 32 on District Classified Salary Schedule ($5,430.77/month).

Health and welfare benefits include District contribution for medical/dental/vision benefits and employee life insurance ($50,000). (Cash in lieu option available on medical insurance.)

Participation in the Public Employee's Retirement System that is also integrated with Social Security.

Selection Procedure
After the application closing date, a search committee will review and invite the most qualified applicants for an interview. As these are highly competitive positions, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview. If you have questions or would like to follow-up regarding your application, please contact Human Resources at HR@Cerritos.edu as search committee members are unable to discuss specific recruitments.


Conditions of Employment This is a full-time, 12-calendar month classified position.

Hours of employment are generally Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM with occasional later hours, as needed for meetings and events.

Initial placement of employees on Classified Salary schedule is at Step 1. After six months of successful probationary employment, employee is placed at Step 2.

Employment is to be effective as soon as possible following completion of the selection process.

Individual who is offered employment shall be required to obtain fingerprints for a criminal history clearance through the State Department of Justice and remit the required fee for processing the fingerprints, Federal Bureau of Investigation (no fee if obtained at Cerritos College Campus Police Station), produce an original social security card, and submit negative TB test results (must be within the past four years or within the last 60 days if not previously employed in a school district in California) before employment.

Candidates must be able to provide proof of California residency prior to employment.

Proof of eligibility to work in the United States and signing of loyalty oath per Government Codes 3100-3109.

**Please note - the District does not provide for immigration sponsorships such as H1B Visas.

Application Procedure
Application materials must be submitted by the closing date. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview due to a disability, please contact Human Resources at hr@cerritos.edu as early as possible. While advance notice (ideally at least 72 hours before the application deadline or scheduled interview) helps ensure we can meet your needs, we will make every effort to accommodate requests made at any time.

It is the applicant's responsibility to provide copies of all transcript(s) verifying all educational degree(s) and/or coursework required for the position. Transcripts must be from regionally accredited institutions. A foreign transcript must be evaluated by a NACES certified agency. The website address is www.naces.org.

Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Resume/Curriculum Vitae
3. Copy of Unofficial Transcripts (Must show all coursework completed and the conferral date of the degree) OR High School Diploma if applicable

Optional Documents

1. RDA, CDA, and/or RDH license

To apply, visit https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/cerritosedu/jobs/5168416/ft-dental-program-assistant

The District ensures that all qualified applicants for employment and employees have full and equal access to employment opportunity, and are not subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of the District on the basis of national origin, religion, age, sex or gender, race, color, medical condition, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or because he or she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. .





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