Your Impact

The Operations Director, Livewell is responsible for the successful launch, operational ramp-up, and long-term performance of Livewell’s de novo veterinary hospitals across an assigned region.

This leader serves as both a builder and an operator—leading multiple hospital openings, developing exceptional Hospital Managers, supporting the recruitment and onboarding of Founding DVMs, and driving strong operational and financial performance.

The Operations Director partners closely with Clinical Operations, Real Estate, Construction, Finance, Marketing, Recruiting, IT, and other home office teams to move new hospitals from concept through stabilization and sustained operational excellence.

In addition to overseeing an assigned hospital portfolio, this leader will continuously improve the systems, playbooks, and cross-functional partnerships that enable Livewell to open high-performing hospitals more efficiently and consistently.

Key Responsibilities

Hospital Operations and Performance

• Lead the operational success of assigned hospitals through pre-opening, startup, stabilization, growth, and eventual transition into the established operating model.
• Oversee an assigned portfolio while managing multiple hospital openings simultaneously.
• Drive consistent execution of the Livewell client experience through Livewell Quality Index (LQI) standards, operational audits, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor hospital performance, operational milestones, key performance indicators, and project timelines.
• Proactively identify risks, remove obstacles, and implement corrective action.
• Ensure hospitals comply with OSHA, DEA, and all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

Leadership and Talent Development

• Recruit, hire, develop, coach, and retain a team of approximately 10–20 Livewell Hospital Managers.
• Provide Hospital Managers with timely coaching, performance feedback, career development, and leadership support.
• Build leadership capability and develop a strong pipeline of future operational leaders.
• Partner with Clinical Operations and Recruiting to identify, recruit, onboard, and support Founding DVMs throughout the pre-opening and ramp-up periods.
• Establish strong partnerships among Hospital Managers, Founding DVMs, and Regional Medical Directors to create high-performing hospital cultures from day one.
• Partner closely with the Regional Medical Director to achieve exceptional medical quality, client experience, team engagement, and financial results.

New Hospital Openings and Project Management

• Lead the cross-functional execution of Livewell’s hospital development pipeline.
• Align Operations, Clinical Operations, Construction, Real Estate, Marketing, IT, Finance, Recruiting, and other partners to deliver successful hospital openings.
• Manage multiple concurrent openings while balancing the needs of hospitals at different stages of development.
• Maintain accountability for project timelines, operational readiness, and execution across multiple initiatives.
• Influence stakeholders without direct authority to remove obstacles and maintain project momentum.
• Provide accurate, timely business updates and performance reporting to senior leadership.

Financial Leadership

• Own the operational and financial performance of assigned hospitals throughout startup, growth, and stabilization.
• Manage labor, operating expenses, and revenue growth while balancing near-term investment with long-term profitability.
• Use operational and financial data to identify trends, prioritize opportunities, and make informed business decisions.
• Partner with Finance to develop annual operating budgets and monitor performance against established goals.
• Communicate financial results, business priorities, and operational objectives effectively to hospital leaders, veterinarians, and executive leadership.
• Drive accountability for inventory management, expense control, cash handling, and overall operational efficiency.

Operational Excellence and Scalability

• Develop and improve scalable operational processes, playbooks, and best practices for new hospital openings.
• Identify opportunities to improve the speed, efficiency, and consistency of future launches.
• Build strong relationships across home office departments to ensure seamless hospital openings and ongoing operational support.
• Apply a builder’s mindset by improving systems and processes rather than simply operating within existing structures.

Leadership Expectations

Successful Operations Directors will:

• Thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities evolve quickly.
• Build trust and influence across departments and all levels of leadership.
• Balance strategic thinking with a willingness to solve day-to-day operational challenges.
• Demonstrate strong business and financial acumen.
• Lead with urgency, adaptability, and a bias toward action.
• Invest in Hospital Managers and develop future leaders.
• Maintain a strong focus on the client, patient, veterinarian, and team member experience.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Timely and successful execution of new hospital openings.
• Hospital performance during the first 12–18 months of operation.
• Recruitment and retention of Hospital Managers and Founding DVMs.
• Development of future operational leaders.
• Financial performance against established plans and budgets.
• Medical quality, client experience, and team engagement.
• Continuous improvement of the Livewell operating model.

Required Education and Experience

• Multi-site operational leadership experience required; veterinary, healthcare, or another multi-unit service industry strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented organization.
• Proven experience recruiting, developing, coaching, and retaining high-performing leaders.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, interpreting P&Ls, and improving operational performance.
• Exceptional organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and hospital openings simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and lead complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of an organization.
• High learning agility, adaptability, and bias toward action.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively across multiple states—approximately 75%—to support hospital openings, leadership development, and ongoing operational needs.

How You're Supported

As part of the Mission Pet Health family, you get the stability of a local practice backed by the comprehensive benefits and resources of a larger network. The focus is on investing in you, so you can focus on what you love.

Note: Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support you at every stage. Eligibility for specific benefits varies based on your role and hours worked.

About Mission Pet Health

Mission Pet Health was founded by veterinarians on the belief that local practices thrive with clinical autonomy, collaboration, and medical excellence. The organization provides world-class support to its 850+ hospital teams on a hyper-local basis so they can focus on what matters most: the medicine, their patients, and their team culture. Learn more at missionpethealth.com.

Driving the award-winning culture are the WAG values – Work Together, Amaze, and Grow. Mission Pet Health is veterinarian-led, people-focused, and on a mission to be the best place to work in veterinary medicine. We are proud to be recognized as a 2025 "Most Loved Workplace," ranked #2 in America's Top 100 and #1 in veterinary care.