Regional Operations Director, DC Metro & N. Virginia

VCA Animal Hospitals•Washington DC, DC

21d

About The Position

The Regional Operations Director (ROD) is a critical operational leader responsible for driving performance, strengthening hospital culture, and elevating veterinary medicine and patient care across a region of 14 hospitals in the Washington, D.C. Metro and Northern Virginia area. The ideal candidate will be based in that area. The ROD provides strategic direction and hands-on operational leadership to help hospitals deliver strong medical outcomes, positive client and Associate experiences, and sustainable business results. Working closely with the Group Vice President and Medical and Patient Care leaders as an integrated leadership team and “Triad of Care,” the ROD is jointly accountable for operational performance, medical quality, talent strategy, and an inclusive, high-trust culture. The role owns regional P&L and KPIs, strengthens hospital execution, and coaches hospital leaders to improve performance, operational processes, doctor productivity, service offerings, appointment capacity, pricing, budgeting, labor, and inventory management. It implements enterprise-designed programs and uses financial, operational, and medical quality insights to guide decisions and sustainable improvement. The ROD builds leadership capability and talent across the region, supports recruitment and retention of doctors and hospital leaders, and fosters engagement, accountability, and a people-first culture. In partnership with Medical Operations leaders, the ROD aligns operations with medical priorities and supports consistent, patient-centered care. The role also works with Marketing to implement local and company-wide initiatives, increase community presence, and build client awareness and loyalty. This position requires travel within the United States up to 75% of the time, based on demand. The role involves working in environments where pets are present, with normally moderate noise and occasional exposure to airborne particles, illness from patients, and chemicals related to animal care and office equipment. Physical requirements include standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, climbing, and lifting, carrying, or moving up to 50 pounds; assistance is required for higher weights. Good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity, grasping ability, and close visual acuity are required. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; the posting also lists an MBA, DVM, or a degree in healthcare in the education/experience section.
At least 8 years driving multi-unit operational performance with end-to-end P&L responsibility and successfully leading growth in dynamic, matrixed organizations.
Ability to read, write, and speak English.
Advanced digital fluency with productivity platforms, including MS365 and cloud-based tools.
Ability to relocate for career pathing.
Strong command of hospital operations, including P&L management, pricing execution, contract coordination, revenue optimization, and labor management across a regional footprint.
Ability to learn and adopt new technologies and company systems to deploy effective workflows, strengthen decision-making, and support efficient hospital operations.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret financial, operational, and medical performance data to drive improvement and KPI achievement.
Ability to align operational decisions with medical priorities and support high-quality, efficient, and reliable medical care.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to deliver practical guidance and explain complex ideas clearly to hospital teams and leaders.
Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb; lift, carry, or move up to 50 pounds, requesting assistance for heavier weights.
Good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity, ability to grasp, and visual acuity for keyboard use and equipment operation; close vision is required.
Ability to travel within the United States up to 75% of the time, based on demand.

Nice To Haves

10 or more years of multi-unit operational performance experience is preferred.
Strong proficiency with data and analytics platforms such as Excel and Power BI, including interpreting complex datasets and extracting actionable insights, is preferred.
Experience in the veterinary, healthcare, or a related service industry, with understanding of hospital operations and multi-site care delivery.

Responsibilities

Own and deliver regional P&L and KPIs through hospital execution, coaching, accountability, and data-informed operational rigor.
Identify growth opportunities, expand service offerings, and optimize appointment and capacity utilization.
Coach hospital leaders to enhance doctor productivity while maintaining medical quality, patient outcomes, and accurate production data.
Manage pricing strategies, discount governance, and fee structures in alignment with fairness, competitiveness, and business goals.
Use financial, operational, and medical quality insights to guide decisions, identify trends, mitigate risk, and improve performance.
Drive regional financial performance through cash control, budgeting, and labor and inventory management.
Implement enterprise-designed programs across hospitals, encouraging consistent adoption and network-aligned operational excellence.
Optimize workflows, appointment availability, resource allocation, and operational processes to support client and Associate experiences and high-quality care.
Maintain a consistent hospital leader coaching, visit, and performance-conversation cadence.
Model VCA’s mission and The Five Principles of Mars, Inc., and foster a purpose-driven, high-trust environment.
Build partnerships with hospital leaders and equip them with coaching, tools, operational acumen, and an ownership mindset.
Partner with hospital leaders to improve financial acumen and understanding of KPIs and P&L drivers.
Develop leadership capability through training in service excellence, operational execution, talent management, and team communication.
Lead regional talent strategy, including support for doctor and hospital-leader recruitment, internal development, growth, and retention.
Coach hospital leaders on performance management, team engagement, and culture-building while ensuring compliance with employment laws and organizational standards.
Partner with Group Vice President and Medical Operations leaders to align priorities and deliver sustainable outcomes.
Share best practices and champion continuous improvement across hospitals.
Align operational decisions with medical priorities and support consistent medical quality and patient-centered experiences.
Use quality metrics, efficient workflows, and NPS insights to improve doctor productivity and patient- and client-centered outcomes.
Partner with Medical Operations leaders to retain veterinarians through effective onboarding, doctor engagement, and support for new graduates.
Strengthen hospital environments to be safe, efficient, and client-centered, and resolve non-medical client escalations professionally and empathetically.
Collaborate with Marketing on regional initiatives, community presence, program adoption, and brand strategies.
Ensure hospital teams understand and implement local and company-level marketing plans.