Advertised location: Melrose
Advertised salary: Please see advert
Employment type: Permanent
Senior Dental Officer - Band B / Band C Specialist
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Dental Officer or Specialist Dental Officer (for candidates included on the GDC Specialist List in Special Care Dentistry) to join the Public Dental Service within NHS Borders.

This post is based within the Public Dental Service and requires the successful candidate to provide clinical services across a range of locations throughout NHS Borders.

The position is offered on a full-time, permanent basis, working 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. The post holder will also participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota supporting the Borders Emergency Dental Service (BEDS) at weekends.

Applicants must demonstrate substantial experience and competence in the management of patients requiring Special Care Dentistry and Conscious Sedation, together with the ability to deliver a comprehensive range of high-quality dental treatments. The successful candidate will be expected to possess knowledge and experience of working in both primary and secondary care environments.

Experience of providing clinical supervision, mentoring, or support to dental colleagues and team members would be advantageous.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated clinician to contribute to the delivery and development of high-quality Special Care Dentistry services within NHS Borders.

You should be a patient focused individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

This post offers exciting opportunities to support the delivery of high-quality dental services to address the current unmet dental needs of the population across NHS Borders.

NHS Borders encourages applications from all sections of the community. We promote a culture of inclusion across the organisation and are proud of the diverse workforce we have.

Applicants must be registered with the GDC.

Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential to this role.

If you want to find out more about the role, please contact Martin McCormack, Clinical Director (Public Dental Service ) and Interim Director of by emailing martin.mccormack@nhs.scot

Whether you’re early in your career or looking to take the next step into a more senior role, NHS Borders offers a supportive environment where you can grow, influence change, and make a real impact.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form

***PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early***

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application—but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
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• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.