Director of Operations (California)

Western Veterinary Partners•Sacramento, CA

16h

About The Position

Western Veterinary Partners is seeking a Director of Operations to lead a portfolio of 8–12 general-practice veterinary hospitals in Northern California and Southern Oregon. The market includes Sacramento, San Jose, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Chico, Redding, Medford, Eugene, Salem, and Klamath Falls. The preferred home base is Sacramento, with San Jose or Central Oregon also considered. The Director will spend approximately 70% of their time in the field visiting and supporting practices and must reside in Northern California or Oregon. Occasional travel to Denver and other company activities is required. In partnership with the Vice President of Operations and Senior Director of Operations, this role supports practices in achieving operational excellence, building strong cultures, and recruiting and retaining veterinarians, technicians, and support staff. The Director provides leadership and operational support to hospital managers, administrative staff, regional managers, and practice teams. Success requires strong general management, financial, business, and strategic capabilities, along with a focus on training and team development. Western Veterinary Partners is a Denver-based, mission-driven, private equity-backed company that acquires, invests in, and supports animal hospitals across the United States. Its non-clinical support model provides operational benefits while preserving clinical autonomy and local practice identity. The company is focused on continued growth and expansion into new markets and states. The California pay range is $140,000–$160,000 USD. The position is also eligible for bonus and incentive compensation. Benefits may include medical, dental, and vision coverage, vacation, sick leave, a 401(k), and other benefits depending on role and location; full details are provided during the hiring process.

Requirements

Must reside in Northern California or Oregon and be willing to travel across the state approximately 70% of the time.
At least 5 years of multi-site operational and/or management experience in fast-growth healthcare services businesses.
Previous experience managing a business of similar size and complexity.
Ability to analyze complex and ambiguous data and recommend strategic and operational improvements using tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Tableau.
P&L responsibility and experience with budget management, personnel management, and team building.
Strong active listening, written communication, and verbal communication skills, and executive presence.
Ability to implement processes in collaboration with the Vice President of Operations to meet company objectives.
Highly organized and detail-oriented work ethic.
Ability to work collaboratively with practice-level and corporate-level team members.
Self-directed and able to work independently.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Willingness to spend approximately 70% of working time in the field visiting and supporting affiliated veterinary practices.
Willingness to travel occasionally to Denver and attend other company activities.

Nice To Haves

Previous veterinary experience.
Master’s degree, preferably an MBA.
Experience managing 10 or more locations.
Home base in Sacramento is strongly preferred; San Jose or Central Oregon are also preferred.

Responsibilities

Build strong relationships with veterinarians to support recruiting, training, and retention.
Achieve results through influence and partnership rather than authority or directives.
Communicate regularly with doctors and office staff to review practice trends and performance objectives.
Champion the company’s culture and develop teams and leaders through coaching, mentorship, and programs aligned with its strategic mission.
Oversee and support practice-level managers, administrative staff, and regional managers.
Promote accountability and service excellence across teams.
Identify opportunities to improve and maintain employee engagement at the site level.
Build connections and community among individuals and hospitals within markets and the region.
Develop collaborative and productive relationships across the organization.
Support other geographies and organization-wide initiatives that contribute to growth and innovation.
Understand business drivers and identify opportunities to optimize volume growth, service mix and offerings, pricing, and margins.
Set, manage, and exceed financial objectives with sites, regional leaders, and the executive team, while considering future growth opportunities.
Manage overall P&L and establish a vision for near- and long-term value creation.
Partner with hospital leaders, field operators, and support functions to diagnose issues, identify opportunities, and develop action plans.
Use structured, repeatable management processes with hospital leadership teams to improve operational effectiveness and growth.
Prioritize areas of focus by impact and urgency and help teams do the same.
Support timely and accurate onboarding and integration of newly affiliated veterinary practices while minimizing disruption to existing operations.
Partner with marketing, recruiting, HR, business development, and finance and accounting teams on business-growth plans, including scheduling optimization, client growth and retention, new services, DVM recruitment, and site expansion and capacity.
Work with hospitals to manage DVM capacity, identify and schedule relief, and plan for succession.
Develop innovation and growth ideas into tangible, scalable programs.
Develop capital budgets for new sites, expansions, and equipment purchases, and prepare and monitor ROI analyses to support business decisions.
Forecast future business needs and develop strategic plans at the hospital, market, and regional levels.