The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is searching for an inspiring, forward-thinking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead our dynamic organization into the future. If you have a passion for driving meaningful change, this is your opportunity to shape the future of children's oral health. 

Reporting to and working closely with the AAPD Board of Trustees, the CEO is responsible for the alignment of the AAPD’s strategic direction, goals, values, and mission within the AAPD’s organizational governance model. The CEO mandate includes the strategic, financial, operational, and human capital leadership of the organization to ensure the success of the AAPD’s strategic plan while maintaining its long-term financial health and ensuring its sustainable operation. 

The CEO provides executive leadership to the AAPD and facilitates the ongoing sustainable operations with the performance of the AAPD staff. To that end, the CEO is responsible for the succession strategy of the executive leadership team to enable the development of staff to have the skills and competencies to deliver on the strategy.

The CEO is the lead change agent in times of transformation and/or modernization and plays a stewardship role in the measured growth of the AAPD.

The CEO is responsible for driving the organizational strategy, building on the transformation/ modernization of the AAPD, and building the brand and its recognition internally and externally amongst stakeholders.

The CEO builds positive and productive relationships with staff, members, the Board, the government, the regulator, and other key stakeholders and entities.

The CEO oversees staff and the execution of assigned charges to each council and committee.

In addition, the CEO has direct oversight of the AAPD’s two key subsidiaries: 

Research and Policy Center

• Research and Policy Center staff report directly to the AAPD CEO.
• The AAPD CEO is responsible for overseeing and assuring all charges as approved are executed and met.

AAPD Foundation

• The AAPD CEO is also the CEO of the AAPD Foundation.
• The CEO evaluates progress of the Foundation in meeting their board-approved goals and objectives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Work closely with the Board of Trustees to develop and execute the AAPD’s strategic direction and plan, showing visionary leadership, imagining the future of the AAPD, and charting a path through and past the current transformation/modernization of the AAPD.
• Review and regularly report to the Board on the Academy’s progress towards its strategic plan, operating and financial budgets, and all material deviations from them, and keeping the Board promptly informed of any material changes, or emerging issues.
• Entrench and champion the vision, mission, and culture of the AAPD’s future. Ensure organizational values and focus are met while allowing the AAPD to be sufficiently agile to react to current events while continuing to serve the members.
• Ensure the needs of members are captured and considered in the AAPD’s strategy and delivery of plans through advocacy, negotiation, and the work of ongoing transformation.

Operational Excellence

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the AAPD through the executive leadership team.
• Authorize the commitment of corporate resources, including contracts, transactions, and arrangements in the ordinary course of business, and any other projects within delegated limits (set by the Board) to pursue the approved strategy, providing details of exposure to risks to the Board on a regular and timely basis.
• Focus on resiliency and ensuring the organization is structured and equipped with the appropriate talent.

Talent and Culture Management

• Ensure the attraction, development, and retention of diverse talent while maximizing engagement at all levels of the organization.
• Develop and implement a succession plan for critical leadership roles of the Academy, i.e., Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and CEO.

Stakeholder Relations & Advocacy

• As one of the AAPD’s key ambassadors, spokespersons, and community leaders, continuing to raise the profile of the organization, building the AAPD Brand, and being a role model for excellence.
• Play a key role in managing relationships with key stakeholders to ensure the AAPD’s positions are heard and enacted. This may include mediation or conflict resolution between stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following knowledge, experience, skills and attributes:

Core Requirements

• Senior executive health system leadership experience or senior-level experience.
• Advanced degree preferred.
• Flexibility in work hours/schedule, as some meetings/calls involve weekends and evenings.

Strategic Capabilities and Mindset

• Skilled at implementation of the mission and vision and leading all aspects of strategy, strategy execution, organizational reputation, and building organizational capacity and culture.
• Strong critical thinking skills; a systems thinker.
• Experience in change and transformation within a complex environment.
• Open-minded to innovation and new ideas as they are brought forward.
• Curious, thinks expansively, and demonstrates imaginative insight to identify breakthrough solutions, while managing risk exposure.

Leadership Style and Values

• A purpose-driven, inspirational, and empathic leader; establishes and builds an engaged, positive, resilient, healthy culture; able to bring people of diverse opinions to a shared point of view and move in one direction.
• A compelling, authentic communicator with the ability to bring together disparate points of view and create a unified vision, direction, and strategy execution.
• Holds themselves and others to a high standard of accountability, transparency, ethics, and integrity; exhibits humility.

Business and Operational Excellence

• Business and financial acumen; effective at managing the business (people and budgets); ability to establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators.
• Committed to providing high-quality member experience, relevancy, and value.

Stakeholder Management

• Proven relationship-building and advocacy skills; adept at influencing, negotiating, and building bridges within and outside of the organization.
• Recognizes and intentionally aligns the agendas of key stakeholders using a keen sense of political acuity and social diplomacy.

About American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is the recognized authority on children’s oral health. Founded in 1947, the AAPD is the not-for-profit professional membership organization representing the specialty of pediatric dentistry. As an advocate for children’s oral health, the AAPD promotes evidence-based policies, best practices, and clinical guidelines, educates and informs policymakers, parents and guardians, and other health care professionals, fosters research, and provides continuing professional education for pediatric dentists and general dentists who treat children. Its 12,000 members put children first in everything they do, and at the highest standards of quality, ethics, and patient safety. Pediatric dentists provide care to millions of our nation’s infants, children, adolescents, and persons with special health care needs, and are primary contributors to professional education programs and publications on pediatric oral health.

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