Regional Operations Director, Heartland

The Regional Operations Director (ROD) is a critical operational leader responsible for driving performance, strengthening hospital culture, and elevating the standard of veterinary medicine and patient care across the assigned region. This role provides strategic direction and hands-on operational leadership that empowers hospitals to deliver exceptional medical outcomes, remarkable client and Associate experiences, and sustainable business results. The ROD will shape the success of their region by building strong partnerships with hospital leaders, advancing operational excellence, and fostering a people-first environment where Associates feel supported, engaged, and inspired. This role collaborates closely with the Group Vice President and Medical and Patient Care leaders operating as an integrated leadership team and as a Triad of Care, jointly accountable for operational performance, medical quality, talent strategy, and an inclusive, high-trust culture. This is a key leadership role for an experienced operator who excels in dynamic environments, leads through influence, and is passionate about inspiring and supporting teams in delivering outstanding care to pets and the people who love them. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS Business Performance and Operational Excellence: Own and deliver regional P&L and KPIs through strong hospital execution, coaching and holding hospital leaders accountable for results while applying data and operational rigor to strengthen performance. Drive hospital performance by identifying growth opportunities, expanding service offerings, optimizing appointment and capacity utilization. Equip and coach hospital leaders to enhance doctor productivity while maintaining the highest standards of medical excellence and patient outcomes and ensuring accuracy of production data. Manage and execute pricing strategies, discount governance, and fee structures to ensure fairness, competitiveness, and alignment with business goals. Use financial, operational, and medical quality insights to guide decision-making, identify trends, mitigate risk, and unlock sustainable performance improvement. Drive regional financial performance with disciplined cash control, effective budgeting, and optimized labor and inventory management. Execute enterprise-designed programs (VCA and United in Care) with discipline across hospitals driving consistent adoption, reducing one-off local solutions, and ensuring network-aligned operational excellence at the hospital level. Ensure hospitals consistently deliver exceptional client and Associate experiences and high-quality medical care by optimizing workflows, appointment availability, resource allocation, and operational processes. Cultivate operational excellence through consistent Hospital leader coaching, visit cadence, and performance conversations. People Leadership and Culture & Talent Strategy Model VCA’s mission and The Five Principles of Mars, Inc., setting the cultural tone for the organization and fostering a purpose-driven, high-trust environment where teams thrive. Build strong, trusting partnerships with hospital leaders, empowering them with the tools, coaching, and operational acumen needed to run high-performing hospitals. Foster an ownership mindset across hospital leadership, enabling them to drive business results, elevate Associate experience, and implement initiatives aligned with VCA’s strategy. Partner with hospital leadership to build financial acumen and improve understanding of key performance indicators and drivers to achieve and maintain a healthy P&L. Develop leadership capability through targeted training in service excellence, operational execution, talent management, and effective team communication. Lead talent strategy across the region by supporting recruitment of doctors and key hospital leaders, developing a strong internal bench, and creating pathways for growth and retention. Coach and guide hospital leaders through performance management, team engagement, and culture-building practices, ensuring compliance with employment laws and organizational standards. Cultivate strong cross-functional partnerships with GVP and Medical Operations leaders to practice unified leadership with aligned priorities that deliver sustainable outcomes. Share best practices across hospitals and champion continuous improvement to elevate performance, culture, and the quality of care. Medical Quality: In collaboration with Medical Operations leaders and as a key member of the Triad of care, align operational decisions with medical priorities and ensure hospital teams have the structure and support needed to deliver consistent medical quality and strong client and Associate experiences. Coach hospital leaders to support doctor productivity and deliver strong medical outcomes and patient-centered experiences, using quality metrics, efficient workflows, and NPS insights to drive improvement. Partner closely with Medical Operations leaders to retain veterinarians through effective onboarding, strengthening doctor engagement, and supporting new graduate success. Strengthen hospital environments to be safe, efficient, and client-centered while resolving non-medical client escalations with professionalism and empathy. Marketing & Community Engagement Collaborate with Marketing to activate region-specific initiatives, increase community presence, and support adoption of new programs and brand strategies. Ensure hospital teams understand and effectively implement local and company-level marketing plans to drive awareness and client loyalty. Fulfill other related duties as assigned EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s Degree / MBA or DVM or a degree in healthcare 8+ years driving multi-unit operational performance with end-to-end P&L responsibility, successfully leading through growth in dynamic, matrixed organizations / 10+ Years Preferred Advanced digital fluency with productivity platforms, including MS365, leveraging cloud-based tools to enhance communication, planning, and operational execution. Strong proficiency in data and analytics platforms (Excel, Power BI), with the ability to interpret complex data sets, extract actionable insights, and drive data-informed decision-making across a multi-site organization. Ability to read, write, and speak English Ability to relocate for career pathing PREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS Experience in the veterinary, healthcare, or related service industry, with a strong understanding of hospital operations and the unique dynamics of multi-site care delivery. Solid command of hospital operations, including P&L management, pricing execution, contract coordination, revenue optimization, and labor management across a regional footprint. Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and adopt new technologies, and company systems to deploy effective workflows, strengthen decision-making, and support efficient hospital operations. Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret financial, operational, and medical performance data using insights to drive improvements and achievement of KPIs. Proven ability to align operational decisions with medical priorities, ensuring hospital workflows and resource allocation support high-quality, efficient, and reliable medical care. Skilled communicator who can organize and deliver clear, practical messages and translate complex ideas into understandable guidance for hospital teams and leaders at all levels. CORE COMPETENCIES Financial Acumen Decision Quality Drives Engagement Develops Talent Directs Works Situational Adaptability WORKING CONDITIONS Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, and move) up to 50 pounds. Lifting higher weights requires requesting assistance from another associate. Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate necessary equipment. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision. Occasionally exposed to airborne particles and illness from patients and chemicals related to animal care and office equipment. The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate. Environment where pets are present. The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Travel within the United States is required for this position up to 75% of the time based on demand. Additional Information: Compensation is negotiable based on education, experience, and other relevant credentials. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $115,000 - $150,000. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only. If you are a current associate, you need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Jobs Hub app or search for Browse Jobs. Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more! The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development). We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com. A leader in veterinary care, VCA Animal Hospitals is committed to taking care of the future of veterinary medicine. We are a family of hometown animal hospitals determined to positively impact pets, people and our communities. From primary care to emergency, urgent and specialty care, VCA delivers world-class medicine and hometown care to more than four million pets each year. We invest in cutting-edge tools, training and technology that enable Associates across our national network of hospitals to lead the industry today and into tomorrow. Among our talented 35,000 Associates are nearly 7,000 veterinarians – including 500 who are board-certified specialists – nearly 4,000 credentialed technicians and over 10,000 veterinary assistants – all dedicated to giving pets the very best in medical care. The future of veterinary medicine is in our hands. Join us.