Medical Director

Summary

As an experienced veterinarian and the Medical Director of our ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic, you’ll shape clinical standards and lead a mission-driven medical team expanding access to high-quality care for pets and families who need it most. This role combines meaningful impact, hands‑on practice, and sustainable work‑life balance — with no sales pressure, revenue targets, on‑call shifts, overnights, or after‑hours emergencies. You’ll focus on medical leadership, preventive care, mentorship, and high‑quality, high‑volume spay/neuter surgery while leading with purpose in the community.

What you’ll do

The Medical Director serves as the site’s senior medical leader, advancing high quality, high volume care, developing veterinary talent, and ensuring consistent implementation of Community Medicine (CM) standards. You will directly supervise veterinarians in the clinic, partner with Medical Managers and regional leaders, and help deliver excellent patient and client experiences that maximize our community impact. This role blends leadership with hands‑on clinical work, including preventive care, treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, and high‑quality, high‑volume spay/neuter surgery. You’ll help ensure daily practices, policies, and protocols support safe, compassionate, consistent care. This position operates within a matrix reporting structure. The Medical Director reports to both the on‑site Veterinary Practice Director and the Community Medicine Regional Medical Director. They also work closely with the Regional Director of Nursing and the Regional Director of Operations.

Where and When You’ll Work

This is an on‑site position primarily based at the Queens ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic located at 36-02 14th St, Long Island City, NY 11106. Occasional flexibility in reporting to other ASPCA locations throughout the Greater NYC Area may be required based on operational need. Enjoy flexible scheduling options, including a choice of four 8‑hour days, five 8‑hour days, or four 10‑hour days per week - paid breaks included! Shifts are designed to support work‑life balance with Monday through Friday daytime hours only, no nights or weekends required Schedules are subject to change at the sole discretion of the ASPCA. Ability and willingness to travel up to 5% of the time.

What you’ll get

The target hiring range is $198,000 - $210,000 annually. This position is eligible for a signing and retention bonus.

Benefits

• Flexible time off that includes 4 weeks of vacation time, 1 week of paid personal time to observe the days that mean the most to you, plus sick and bereavement time, paid parental leave, and company paid holidays
• Competitive financial incentives and retirement savings including veterinary state license fee reimbursement, Veterinary Information Network (VIN) membership, and a 401(k) plan with generous employer contributions — we match dollar for dollar up to 4% and provide an additional 4% contribution toward your future each year.
• Robust professional development opportunities, 3 paid days for Continuing Education and a $1,500 CE Stipend.
• We offer an ongoing learning environment, including structured mentorship from experienced veterinarians and rounds to share ideas with colleagues across the country.
• Affordable health coverage, including medical, employer‑paid dental, and optional vision coverage, as well as employer‑paid life and long‑term disability insurance.

Who we are

Have you ever wondered what happens to cats and dogs whose owners are unable to afford veterinary care? We did. The ASPCA’s Community Medicine (CM) team provides veterinary care to support the welfare of animals and their people through our stationary and mobile veterinary clinics, serving the most underserved communities in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. We help pet owners overcome barriers to care, bringing high quality medical services directly to the communities that need us most and partially or fully subsidizing the cost of basic and preventive care. CM treats people and pets with dignity and respect, assisting pet owners in making informed decisions about their pets’ health and wellbeing regardless of their financial circumstances. When you come to work at the ASPCA, you join a team of over 1,000 dedicated colleagues with deep knowledge, skills, and passion for the animals we serve.

Responsibilities

Medical Leadership

Ensure high‑quality, high‑volume medicine, surgery, and nursing care are provided at the ASPCA’s CVC according to CM’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines, working in concert with the Regional Medical Director, Regional Director of Nursing, and onsite Medical Managers. Establish clear clinical expectations, review performance and outcome data, identify gaps or trends, and implement corrective actions with defined owners and timelines. Ensure that all medical staff receive training and have mastered the skills to handle patients in a low‑stress manner, and that they implement these handling techniques consistently. Ensure all medical staff are trained and demonstrate competency in low‑stress patient handling; address inconsistent practice through coaching, retraining, or performance management. Ensure clinic operations staff understand and consistently perform their role in creating a calm environment that supports patients’ behavioral and mental health. Shape, champion, and support the adoption of new medical protocols in partnership with regional medical and nursing leadership; lead clinic‑level implementation through clear communication, training, change management, and follow‑up. Train, assess, and mentor veterinarians to provide preventative care and treat common conditions on an outpatient basis following CM protocols, concentrating on signalment, medical history, and physical exam to guide decision making and conserve resources. Train, assess, and mentor veterinarians in high‑quality, high‑volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) techniques. Ensure veterinary student externs, ASPCA interns, and residents receive consistent instruction in Community Medicine protocols and philosophy; develop clinic veterinarians’ mentoring capability. Maintain a visible floor presence, make timely decisions about daily clinic flow, provide real‑time feedback, and resolve or elevate barriers to safe, efficient care. Serve as the responsible veterinarian for the clinic’s DEA certificate and ensure secure storage, accurate inventory, compliant documentation, discrepancy investigation, and timely reporting for controlled substances. Model clinical excellence and maintain credibility through direct practice as a PPC doctor and HQHVSN surgeon treating cats and dogs as both a scheduled shift and fill‑in coverage as needed.

Perform pre‑surgery physical examinations on all surgical candidates; perform 30 - 40 high quality, high volume spay/neuter surgical procedures per spay/neuter clinic daywith the daily number based on patient and clinic variables. Provide compassionate, quality preventive and basic care to patients in underserved areas, overseeing all aspects of veterinary care during a clinic day including physical examination, point of care diagnostics, treatment recommendations and delivery, prescribing of medications and discharge information. Diagnose and treat post‑surgical complications on an outpatient basis. Triage and refer cases that do not fall within the Community Medicine parameters of care as appropriate. Provide compassionate end‑of‑life care and euthanasia when it is a humane option. Make and document clinic‑level decisions consistent with Community Medicine’s limited‑practice parameters, including referrals, management of post‑operative complications, and eligibility for additional client or patient support through ASPCA programs such as the One ASPCA Fund. Audit medical records for sound decision‑making and complete, accurate documentation. When necessary, coach direct reports and verify sustained improvement. Support internal ASPCA departments, such as Adoptions and Kitten Nursery (NYC) and LA Feline Programs (LA) and external partners including local municipal shelter systems, through provision of spay/neuter surgery and services, being flexible to the needs of each. Collaborate with veterinary colleagues across the ASPCA, share lessons learned, and follow through on commitments that advance the organization’s mission and medical standards.

People Leadership

Directly supervise 3–5 veterinarians and be accountable for team performance, engagement, development, conduct, and coverage. Set clear role‑specific expectations, support professional growth, and foster trust. Empower veterinarians to make confident, informed decisions within Community Medicine protocols and available client options using sound clinical judgment, accurate documentation, and client‑centered communication. Lead regular effective feedback conversations, career conversations, and ongoing check‑in conversations with each team member on a cadence that’s appropriate for their role and stage of development. Prepare and deliver annual evaluations. Coach and assess effective client communication, including difficult end‑of‑life conversations, and intervene when communication standards are not met. Partner with the People Team to forecast staffing needs, select and hire staff and relief veterinarians, and ensure complete, timely onboarding and competency assessment. Coordinate with the management team under the guidance of the CVC Director, to deliver cohesive messaging and address root causes of problems, deliver corrective action plans as needed and verify completion. Coach veterinarians and clinic staff to fulfill the ASPCA’s commitment to improving access to care for all animals and the philosophy of providing services to as many animals as possible to raise the overall welfare of pets in the community while protecting quality, safety, and client dignity. Identify and cultivate leadership potential, actively developing high potential employees; make promotion and salary recommendations; perform effective evaluations, and hold the teams accountable. Recommend internal and external training opportunities as needed for direct reports in identified areas. Handle employee‑relations issues with confidentiality and care and resolve them in a timely fashion, partnering with other internal teams (i.e., People Team) where appropriate. Prioritize safety and security in the clinic; report safety related incidents and ensure that all incident and supervisor reports are completed promptly.

Program Leadership

Translate ASPCA impact goals into clinic‑level medical priorities and action plans; monitor progress and adjust to achieve or exceed targets. Meet regularly with the Regional Medical Director; provide open and honest communication and feedback when performance or systems are not meeting expectations. Participate actively in regional quality‑assurance evaluations; be responsible for remediation actions and sustained improvement. Participate in monthly Community Medicine Veterinary Medicine Rounds and Morbidity and Mortality Meetings with the Vice President of Medicine; present relevant cases or current topics and translate lessons learned into clinic practice. Support the ASPCA’s commitment to research and development to benefit animals across the country by participating in studies designed to improve access to care as needed. Attend workshops or meetings as needed.

Qualifications

• Current State Veterinary licensure required;
• Valid New York State Veterinary License, or ability to obtain within 30 days of start date required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in a high-volume, fast‑paced environment; structured leadership training, mentorship and support will be provided.
• Adaptable and excited about learning and teaching with support from ASPCA experts in professional training and development with the goal of providing mentorship and supervision for direct reports and trainees visiting CM.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Desire to improve the overall welfare of pets and serve underserved pet owners.
• After completing on‑the‑job HQHVSN training, ability to perform approximately 30-40 high‑quality, high‑volume spay/neuter surgical procedures per spay/neuter clinic day.
• Fear Free® Shelter certification is required within 60 days of hire.
• Ability to exemplify ASPCA core values and behavioral competencies.
• Education and Work Experience: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (or equivalent) from an AVMA accredited veterinary college required 5 years of veterinary experience in small animal practice required 4 years of experience with and demonstrated success in people management, leadership, training, or mentoring required. 1 year of surgical experience required; experience in high-quality high volume spay/neuter preferred; HQHVSN training is available for strong candidates who meet other requirements.

Education and Work Experience

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (or equivalent) from an AVMA accredited veterinary college required.

5 years of veterinary experience in small animal practice required.

4 years of experience with and demonstrated success in people management, leadership, training, or mentoring required.

1 year of surgical experience required; experience in high-quality high volume spay/neuter preferred; HQHVSN training is available for strong candidates who meet other requirements.

Language

English (Required)

The ASPCA was founded in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment by humans and must be protected under the law. As a 501(c)(3) not‑for‑profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA is headquartered in New York City, where we maintain a full‑service animal hospital, spay/neuter clinic, mobile spay/neuter and primary pet care clinics, a rehabilitation center for canine victims of cruelty, kitten nursery, adoption center, and two community veterinary centers. The ASPCA also operates programs and services that extend nationwide. We assist animals in need through on‑ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. At the ASPCA, we are committed to fostering a collaborative and compassionate culture and we welcome all voices to contribute to our lifesaving mission. Our staff represent a vast array of backgrounds and diversity dimensions, bringing with them valuable experiences and perspectives. They join the ASPCA to learn, grow, and continually do our best work on behalf of animals. We are inspired by our staff, partners, and the communities we support across the country who work to improve animal lives. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the ASPCA because it elevates our organizational culture, aligns with our Core Values, and enables us to move further and faster toward the ASPCA’s vision — that all animals live good lives.