Veterinary Hospital Area Manager

Summary The Veterinary Hospital Area Manager is accountable for driving sustainable growth, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance across a portfolio of veterinary hospitals. This role blends hands-on in-hospital leadership with data-driven management, ensuring adherence to company policies and operational standards while championing change initiatives, customer service, team development and strong cultural well-being. The Area Manager serves as the primary culture carrier for both Lakefield and the hospital, effectively balancing the legacy of the team with long-term growth opportunities to sustain a positive and balanced environment. Reporting To: Regional Director of Operations Direct Reports: Hospital Administrators / Practice Managers, potentially Client Service Leads Travel: Regional travel between assigned hospitals. Occasional out-of-state travel to conferences or other leadership meetings may be required. Schedule: Onsite in assigned hospitals a minimum of 4 days per week; availability for periodic evenings/weekends as needed during critical project initiatives or based on strategic needs. Occasional evenings/weekends for events, audits, or emergent needs. Requirements: Must be currently residing in Oregon or willing to relocate. 3+ years of veterinary hospital or human healthcare experience. Core Responsibilities: Hospital Presence and Leadership Be present in assigned hospitals at least 4 days per week. Some visits require a structured agenda shared with the hospital leadership prior to the visit. Additional visits include listening to all levels of team members to gauge team culture and identify team members that may be at risk of leaving the company. Coaching hospital leadership and ensuring Lakefield’s policies are upheld. Conduct regular hospital walk-throughs, team huddles, one-on-ones with practice leadership as well as all team members, and attend team meetings at least twice a year per hospital needs. Build strong relationships with medical leadership to align operations with clinical standards. Growth and Operational Performance Serve as a growth advocate: build and execute local market plans to increase new client acquisition, client retention, and revenue per visit. Coordinate team participation in community events – once per quarter from the Lakefield Marketing event worksheet. Optimize appointment templates and throughput while protecting quality of care and client experience. Manage hours of operation to balance client demand, staff coverage, and profitability. Partner with recruiting team on recruiting strategies and staffing models to support growth and service delivery. Actively recruit doctors and team members for assigned hospitals. Participate in annual budgeting process for each hospital. Compliance and Policy Adherence Ensure consistent execution of company policies, operational standards, and regulatory compliance across assigned hospitals. Key responsibilities include: Oversee compliance with company policies, OSHA standards, medical record requirements, scheduling practices, client service standards, and hours of operation. Monitor local marketing initiatives, new client acquisition efforts, and recruiting event participation to support hospital growth. Identify training needs, coordinate onboarding and leadership development, and support Hospital Administrator performance management. Champion adoption and optimization of the ezyVet practice management system while promoting standardized workflows across hospitals. Analyze key business metrics—including financial performance, KPIs, labor, production, client experience, and operational reports—to identify trends, drive continuous improvement, and implement corrective action plans. Develop, standardize, and maintain operational processes and SOPs to ensure consistency and efficiency across the region. Data, Systems, and Process Improvement Run weekly KPI reviews: appointments, conversion, charge capture, compliance audit scores, la…