Veterinary Practice Manager

Company Description

Priority Pet Urgent Care is excited to bring a brand-new, state-of-the-art urgent care hospital to Ankeny, IA, opening in late December, 2026!

Open daily from 3pm - 12 midnight, Priority Pet Urgent Care is designed to provide convenient, high-quality care for pets with urgent medical needs while creating an exceptional experience for clients and team members.

We are looking for an experienced Practice Manager to lead both the people and the business of the hospital. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who understands veterinary operations, can build and develop a strong team, and is comfortable owning the business side of the practice. The ideal candidate brings strong financial and operational acumen, understands key hospital performance metrics, and can translate goals around growth, labor, client experience, and profitability into consistent daily execution.

Our mission is simple: provide easy access to quality veterinary care while ensuring every client knows their pet is our priority. We value teamwork, accountability, compassion, and excellence, and we are committed to creating an environment where our teams can grow and succeed alongside the hospital.

If you are an experienced veterinary leader who enjoys building teams, improving operations, driving performance, and growing a practice, we would love to connect.

To learn more about us, please visit our website at

Job Description

We are looking to hire an experienced Practice Manager pre-opening to help build the operational foundation for our grand opening in December of 2026. The Practice Manager will serve as the primary onsite business and operational leader, partnering closely with the Veterinarian owner and regional field leadership to build a high-performing, financially healthy, and well-run urgent care practice.

Pre-opening responsibilities and opportunities:

• Practice setup and facility preparation.
• Equipment ordering, tracking, unpacking, and stocking.
• Pre-opening referral marketing.
• Vendor connections.
• Support in Practice Management System setup and workflow.
• Supply purchasing, tracking, unpacking, and stocking.
• Reviewing budgeted pro forma with regional operations leaders and expense tracking.
• Reviewing and analyzing operational KPIs, reporting cadence, and opening performance targets.
• Support Staff interviewing, hiring and training in preparation for the grand opening.
• Staffing labor planning, and schedule build.
• Building workflows and accountability standards that support patient flow, client experience, productivity, and financial performance.
• The successful Practice Manager will be comfortable owning both people leadership and business performance. This individual should be able to understand practice financials, manage labor and staffing to demand, monitor key performance indicators, identify operational opportunities, and build action plans that improve hospital performance while maintaining an excellent client and team experience.

General practice manager duties:

• Partner with the veterinary regional manager and medical leadership on staffing strategy, organizational structure, performance management, compensation recommendations, scheduling, and other personnel decisions that impact hospital performance.
• Build and manage employee schedules based on forecasted patient demand, operating hours, productivity expectations, and labor targets; proactively adjust staffing as business needs change.
• Lead ongoing coaching, training, performance management, and accountability. Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback, develop team members, complete performance reviews, and implement corrective action when needed.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, develop, and retain team members who align with the culture and operational needs of the hospital. Partner with HR and regional leadership on compensation, performance concerns, and separations in accordance with company policies.
• Develop and execute local growth initiatives in partnership with Marketing and regional leadership, including community outreach, referral relationships, client experience, reputation management, and other activities that support patient volume and revenue growth.
• Maintain strong employee-management communication, resolve team concerns appropriately, and create a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the client and patient workflow from arrival through discharge and identify opportunities to improve throughput, wait times, communication, and the overall client experience.
• Remain willing and able to step into frontline operations when needed while maintaining primary accountability for leadership, business performance, and hospital operations.
• Ensure client concerns are addressed promptly and professionally; identify recurring themes and implement operational solutions that improve service and retention.
• Exercise sound, unbiased business judgment when managing people, resources, and hospital priorities, including appropriate recommendations regarding performance or disciplinary action.
• Own inventory and purchasing controls to maintain appropriate supply levels while managing cost, pricing, waste, and working capital. Monitor inventory performance, controlled substances, equipment needs, vendor pricing, and returns.
• Ensure hospital compliance with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements, including DEA/controlled substances, OSHA, safety, and required operational standards.
• Ensure payroll and timekeeping are accurate and timely while actively managing overtime, schedule efficiency, and overall labor performance against hospital targets.
• Manage vendor relationships at the hospital level, ensuring appropriate service, competitive pricing, and timely resolution of operational issues.
• Partner with medical leadership to ensure appropriate urgent and emergency patient workflows, escalation processes, and operational readiness.
• Own day-to-day hospital business performance and routinely review 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 monthly P&L performance, explain material variances, and execute corrective action plans when performance is off target.
• Develop staffing plans that balance patient demand, service levels, team wellbeing, and financial expectations; actively manage overtime, productivity, and labor efficiency.
• Use data and operational reporting to identify trends, diagnose root causes, prioritize opportunities, and drive measurable improvement in hospital performance.
• Maintain ownership of hospital execution by establishing clear priorities, assigning accountability, following up on commitments, and closing the loop on operational issues.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of veterinary practice management. Candidates should have demonstrated responsibility for staffing, financial performance, operations, and team leadership. CVPM or equivalent management certification is preferred but not required.
• 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.

Additional Information

We offer our staff:

• 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!
• Additional Benefits May Also Be Available (i.e. Personal Pet Discounts, Holiday Pay, Uniform Allowance, Bonuses etc.)

Hiring eligibility may be contingent to a candidate authorizing and completing a satisfactory background check.


*Note - some benefits may only be available to or vary slightly for full time employment status vs part time status.

For additional details including our full equal opportunity statement, texting/outreach communication authorization, physical requirements of the job and more, please visit: