Operations Area Manager

Operations Area Manager - Growth Advocate & Team Member Wellness Advisor
Summary
The Operations 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 Operations Director (or VP 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

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 2 a year per hospital.
• 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
Own Compliance, Training, And Auditing Of Company Policies, Including

• Local Marketing Requirements: ensuring execution of local campaigns, community events, digital presence, and referral programs; partner with VP/Regional Director to track ROI.
• New Client Acquisition Efforts: oversee outreach, promotions, conversion funnels, and front-desk scripting.
• Appointment Time Length and Availability: audit appointment types and durations; standardize templates to policy. Ensure that appointments are available during business hours, up until close.
• Client Acceptance Policies: verify adherence to patient/client eligibility criteria and payment policies.
• OSHA Compliance: conduct safety rounds, documentation audits, incident reviews, and corrective actions.
• PTO Layering: ensure scheduling and coverage follow company PTO policies and labor law requirements.
• Training Needs: identify gaps; launch onboarding, cross-training, and company recommended compliance modules. Partner with VP to communicate additional training materials needed to ensure team member growth and satisfaction
• Recruiting Event Advocates: coordinate team participation in recruiting/career events and school partnerships.
• HA Reviews & Training Coordination: lead Hospital Administrator performance reviews, development plans, and workshop scheduling.
• Customer Service Standards (including call auditing): perform call audits, implement coaching and service recovery.
• Adherence to Medical Record Policies provided by the Medical Advisory Board: audit record completeness, SOAP standards, coding, charge capture, and timely closure.
• ezyVet Practice Management System Change Advocate: champion adoption, drive workflow optimization, maintain data hygiene, and collect feedback for continuous improvement.
• Hours of Operation: ensure posted hours meet policy and market needs; implement change management for any adjustments.

Data, Systems, and Process Improvement

• Run weekly KPI reviews: appointments, conversion, charge capture, compliance audit scores, labor vs. revenue, inventory turns, and client experience.
• Review and update (if applicable) financial information including PowerBI reports, Profit and Loss Statements, para labor reports, DVM production reports, Visit Volume reports
• Use ezyVet reporting and dashboards to identify trends and implement corrective action plans.
• Standardization of processes across hospitals; document SOPs and ensure version control and training.

People Leadership and Culture

• Coach Hospital Administrators and frontline leaders on performance management and accountability.
• Foster a culture of safety, empathy, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate with Medical Directors to align operational goals with clinical quality initiatives.
• Support recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts; coordinate engagement at recruiting events.
• Assist Hospital Administrators in performance coaching and disciplinary action when appropriate.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Marketing, HR, IT, Finance, Legal, and the Medical Advisory Board to execute initiatives.
• Serve as the voice of the hospital teams to TPC; escalate risks and resource needs promptly.
• Plan and facilitate regional meetings, training, and readiness checks for new rollouts.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of multi-site operations management preferred, preferably in veterinary, medical, dental, or similar healthcare services.
• Demonstrated experience driving growth and enforcing compliance in a regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA requirements and healthcare documentation standards; veterinary-specific experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with practice management systems; ezyVet experience is a plus.
• Proven capability in change management, training, and coaching.
• Data-driven operator with proficiency in Excel/Sheets and dashboard tools.
• Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• New client acquisition and conversion rate growth
• Appointment utilization and on-time performance; adherence to appointment time standards
• Compliance audit scores (OSHA, medical records, policy adherence)
• Call audit quality scores; service recovery closure rates
• Revenue growth, labor-to-revenue ratio, and charge capture accuracy
• Training completion and competency rates; reduction in errors/rework
• ezyVet adoption/utilization metrics and data integrity scores
• Staff retention and time-to-fill for key roles; recruiting event participation

Working Conditions

• In-hospital presence a minimum of 4 days per week, with travel between sites.
• Occasional evenings/weekends for events, audits, or emergent needs.
• Hybrid administrative work on the fifth day for reporting, planning, and follow-ups.

For more information or to apply, please contact
Joe Rusk at
or apply here: Find Your Career - Lakefield Careers

Compensation Range

$110,000 - $130,000 USD