Act as the immediate/direct supervisor and first point of contact for the Surgery technical team, addressing day-to-day concerns, needs, workflow, and performance.
Provide strong, visible, and consistent leadership while fostering a professional, respectful, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
Maintain an active clinical presence and step into cases, anesthesia, patient care, and workflow support as operational needs require.
Work collaboratively with all surgeons and support team members, recognizing differing clinical styles and ensuring the team can successfully support each surgeon's needs and standards.
Promote open and direct communication among team members, surgeons, and leadership; address conflict early and facilitate productive resolution.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and make leadership decisions objectively, consistently, and in the best interest of patients, the team, and the hospital.
Set clear expectations for performance, behavior, communication, attendance, teamwork, and accountability.
Recognize performance concerns promptly; provide coaching and feedback; document concerns appropriately; and partner with the Surgical Services Manager and Hospital Director on performance improvement plans or disciplinary action when needed.
Assist with annual performance reviews and ongoing employee development.
Serve as a mentor and advanced clinical resource to LVTs, veterinary assistants, and other Surgery team members.
Assess individual and departmental training needs and work with the Surgery Service Manager and surgeons to develop training plans, competencies, and continuing education objectives.
Support onboarding and orientation of new Surgery employees and ensure consistent training in workflows, SOPs, equipment, anesthesia, and patient-care standards.
Ensure compliance with hospital policies, Surgery SOPs, safety standards, controlled-drug protocols, OSHA requirements, and PPE requirements.
Maintain high standards for surgical preparation, anesthesia support, perioperative patient care, recovery, hospitalization, discharge, and client experience.
Support efficient daily case flow, including staffing, case assignments, scheduling, room utilization, turnover, and prioritization of patient needs.
Anticipate staffing and operational challenges and communicate concerns proactively to the Surgical Services Manage.
Assist with staffing plans, scheduling needs, recruiting, interviewing, selection, and orientation of Surgery candidates.
Conduct regular one-on-one communication with team members and maintain an understanding of engagement, workload, concerns, and development goals.
Meet regularly with the Surgery Services Manager regarding staffing, performance, training, department culture, workflow, and hospital priorities.
Partner with surgeons and hospital leadership to improve efficiency, patient safety, quality of care, and department growth.
Work with Inventory and hospital leadership to ensure appropriate Surgery supplies and equipment while maintaining responsible expense management.
Ensure controlled-drug procedures, reconciliation, storage, and documentation are completed according to hospital policy.
Maintain department cleanliness, organization, equipment readiness, and maintenance standards.
Participate in Surgery department and hospital leadership meetings as required.
Maintain professionalism, composure, sound judgment, and effective decision-making during high-stress or rapidly changing situations.
Attend and complete required leadership trainings.
Model and uphold VVC's Core Values and leadership expectations.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Highly focused, accountable, and results-oriented leader who can establish priorities, address concerns early, build trust, and lead effectively within a complex specialty hospital environment.
Current Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential required.
Minimum of 5 years of experience working in a specialty veterinary Surgery Department required.
Advanced clinical proficiency in specialty surgery nursing, perioperative patient care, and anesthesia required.
Demonstrated leadership experience and strong leadership skills, including coaching, mentorship, expectation-setting, accountability, and conflict management.
Ability to lead team members with different personalities, experience levels, and working styles while maintaining consistency and fairness.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver clear and constructive feedback.
Ability to remain objective and professional while navigating challenging team dynamics or competing priorities.
Ability to work effectively in a highly fluid, complex, fast-paced, and changing specialty hospital environment.
Strong organizational, prioritization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Commitment to exceptional patient care, client service, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Ability and willingness to work clinically and provide hands-on support to the Surgery team as needed.
Availability to adjust schedule as needed to provide appropriate leadership coverage and support.