Veterinary Practice Manager

Alliance Animal Health•Ankeny, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Priority Pet Urgent Care is seeking an experienced Practice Manager to lead the operational and business aspects of a new, state-of-the-art urgent care hospital in Ankeny, IA, opening in late December 2026. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring expertise in veterinary operations, team building, financial acumen, and a focus on key performance metrics. The mission is to provide accessible, high-quality veterinary care while prioritizing client and team experience. The company values teamwork, accountability, compassion, and excellence, fostering an environment for growth and success.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of veterinary practice management experience.
Demonstrated responsibility for staffing, financial performance, operations, and team leadership.
Demonstrated business acumen with the ability to understand and manage practice-level financial performance, including revenue, labor, COGS, expenses, budgets, and profitability.
Proven ability to use operational and financial KPIs to identify opportunities, develop action plans, and hold teams accountable for measurable results.
Strong people leadership skills with demonstrated experience building teams, managing performance, navigating difficult conversations, and developing future leaders.
Excellent communication and partnership skills with the ability to work effectively with doctors, support teams, regional leadership, and partners.
Highly organized, technologically proficient, and comfortable learning and managing practice management systems, scheduling tools, reporting platforms, and other business systems.
Strong understanding of veterinary hospital operations, including patient flow, scheduling, inventory, client service, staffing models, and clinical support workflows.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment and making timely decisions using data, business judgment, and available resources.
Self-directed and solutions-oriented, with a demonstrated ability to take ownership, follow through, and continuously improve hospital performance.
Flexible availability based on hospital needs, including the ability to support opening/closing operations, peak demand periods, and occasional weekends or holidays as required.

Nice To Haves

CVPM or equivalent management certification is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary onsite business and operational leader, partnering with the Veterinarian owner and regional leadership.
Manage practice setup and facility preparation, including equipment ordering, unpacking, and stocking.
Oversee pre-opening referral marketing and vendor connections.
Support Practice Management System setup and workflow.
Manage supply purchasing, tracking, unpacking, and stocking.
Review budgeted pro forma and expense tracking with regional operations leaders.
Analyze operational KPIs, reporting cadence, and opening performance targets.
Support staff interviewing, hiring, and training.
Develop staffing labor plans and schedules based on forecasted patient demand.
Build workflows and accountability standards for patient flow, client experience, productivity, and financial performance.
Own people leadership and business performance, understanding practice financials, managing labor, monitoring KPIs, and developing action plans.
Partner with veterinary regional manager and medical leadership on staffing strategy, organizational structure, performance management, compensation, and scheduling.
Lead ongoing coaching, training, performance management, and accountability, including setting expectations, providing feedback, and implementing corrective action.
Recruit, hire, onboard, develop, and retain team members.
Develop and execute local growth initiatives in partnership with Marketing and regional leadership.
Maintain strong employee-management communication and resolve team concerns.
Understand and improve client and patient workflow from arrival through discharge.
Address client concerns promptly and professionally, identifying recurring themes and implementing solutions.
Manage inventory and purchasing controls, monitoring performance, controlled substances, equipment needs, and vendor pricing.
Ensure hospital compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements (DEA, OSHA, safety).
Ensure accurate and timely payroll and timekeeping, managing overtime and labor performance.
Manage vendor relationships at the hospital level.
Partner with medical leadership to ensure appropriate urgent and emergency patient workflows and operational readiness.
Own day-to-day hospital business performance, reviewing key metrics such as revenue, transactions, average client transaction, labor, COGS, productivity, client demand, and profitability.
Partner with regional leadership to build and manage the hospital budget, understand P&L performance, explain variances, and execute corrective action plans.
Develop staffing plans that balance patient demand, service levels, team wellbeing, and financial expectations.
Use data and operational reporting to identify trends, diagnose root causes, prioritize opportunities, and drive measurable improvement.
Establish clear priorities, assign accountability, follow up on commitments, and close the loop on operational issues.

Benefits

Comprehensive Benefits (health, dental, vision, liability, 401k & 401K matching program, life & supplemental insurance, HSA, & FSA)
Employee Assistance Program
Paid Vacation and Sick Time for ALL Employees
Paid Bereavement Program
Paid Parental Leave Program
Competitive Compensation
Continuing Education Allowance (applies to licensed/registered/certified roles)
Tuition Reimbursement Program Available to any AVMA Accredited Veterinary Technology Program
Career Development Opportunities
Referral Bonus Program for most positions!
Personal Pet Discounts
Holiday Pay
Uniform Allowance
Bonuses