We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Director of Operations to focus on the day to day operations of the 24/7 veterinary specialty and emergency hospital, possessing a strong working knowledge of all segments of practice management. The DO is primarily responsible for the client experience and clinical operation, and partners with and supports leadership with respect to finance and productivity, procurement, marketing, human resources, facilities, information technology, and law and ethics. the DO serves as the hub of the hospital, supporting leadership in uniting the team in their shared purpose. This role requires the ability to develop and leverage people and processes to maximize productivity while cultivating an employer-of-choice culture and a client, patient and referring community experience consistent with CUVS's Mission, Vision, and Core Values.

Responsibilities

The DO will be expected to perform all roles and responsibilities described below, as well as any that are reasonably requested.

Client Service & Experience

• Lead the entire CUVS team, and primarily the CSM, client service team and Veterinary Community Liaison in refining and implementing the CUVS Service Model, differentiating the hospital’s level of service, quality and communication aligned with the CUVS core values.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine related to client relationships and appointments.
• Inspire the team to take pride in the client experience through shared client testimonials, online reviews, and other client and referring community feedback.

Clinical Operations, Medical Quality & Safety

• Define, implement, and optimize clinical flow through policies and procedures that are efficient, accurate and reproduceable.
• Lead and support the Operations Supervisor, Clinical Liaisons, and Pharmacy Coordinator/s.
• Manage and support the Veterinary Social Worker in client and employee-facing functions and programs.
• Partner with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), doctors and nursing leadership to continually improve quality of care, service, efficiencies and resource utilization.

Finance and Productivity

• Read and interpret the hospital’s financial reports and create financial impact plans for operational KPIs established by the COO/Hospital Director/CMO, in partnership with Finance, as needed.
• Coach department managers/supervisors on optimized labor planning and supporting audits.
• Support the COO/Hospital Director and/or CMO on clinician productivity and optimized scheduling strategies.
• Lead the entire CUVS team on defining and conveying the value in CUVS’ pricing strategy, aligned with the CUVS Core Values.

Supervision & Leadership

• Manage and oversee multiple functional leaders and individual contributors, including talent acquisition and identifying, managing and measuring performance expectations, guiding development and career pathing opportunities, and providing regular, constructive feedback and timely performance reviews.
• Create and update client service job descriptions, levels, training and development plans and corresponding pay rates in partnership with Human Resources and the COO/Hospital Director.
• Conduct effective meetings and participate in cross-functional meetings as needed.
• Serve as a trusted resource, building a psychologically safe, employee-centric environment.
• Serve as a culture champion and drive discussions around how to create an environment in which employees are engaged in doing their best work to deliver optimal results.
• Develop, maintain and support partnerships with managers and the leadership team, serving as an employee advocate, cultural ambassador, subject matter expert, innovator, and consultant.
• Develop, maintain and support external relationships, serving as an ambassador, subject matter expert and consultant.

Requirements and Qualifications

Education & Experience

• A minimum of five years of management and leadership experience, preferably in veterinary or human healthcare
• Bachelor’s Degree with emphasis in business, animal science or related field
• CVPM preferred
• Knowledge of standard business and hospital operations, veterinary specialty practice and emergency practices, or other multi-group clinical systems
• Proven expertise in managing and maximizing business productivity
• Demonstrated ability to lead others, including other people leaders
• Demonstrated ability to building successful teams and engaging cultures
• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a stellar client experience through a top-performing client service team
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain solid referring community relationships
• Computer literacy with proven expertise in MS Office Suite and veterinary practice software

Competencies

• Communication: able to listen and communicate effectively with leadership, doctors, hospital personnel, vendors, consulting professionals and clients, especially when conveying sensitive information
• Interpersonal Relationships: able to demonstrate approachability, collaboration, negotiation and build trust and psychological safety while balancing stakeholder needs
• Mediation: able to coach and counsel staff and mediate conflict to resolution
• Organization: able to set and attain goals with attention to detail while managing ambiguity and appropriately delegating
• Time/Project Management: able to set, prioritize and meet measurable outcome and timelines
• Leadership: able to build, unite and lead diverse teams toward a common goal and promote and maintain positive interpersonal relationships to keep teams engaged in a healthy culture