Group Vice President - Heartland

The Group Vice President leads a team of Regional Operations Directors creating the culture, structure, and accountability that enable hospitals to consistently deliver exceptional medical outcomes, outstanding client and Associate experiences, and sustainable business performance.

A disciplined, results-driven Field Executive, this leader brings strong organizational rigor, data-informed decision-making, and the ability to quickly distill complex information into sound judgment. They remain calm and focused in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, demonstrating exceptional prioritization and adaptability in a rapidly evolving industry.

NOTE: This role requires candidates to reside in CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This role owns and serves as a catalyst for:

• Group P&L performance, strategic growth, and long-term value creation

• Operational excellence at scale, including labor productivity and para-labor optimization

• People-first leadership, advancing the Associate experience, open communication, and talent development

• High-quality, compliant, and progressive veterinary medicine

This position requires a visionary and change-agile leader who inspires teams, drives alignment, and consistently delivers results in a complex, dynamic environment. The role supports our United in Care strategy execution at the Group level.

Essential Responsibility/Task:

Strategic Growth and Operational Strategy

• Own Group P&L and KPI performance by driving strong execution through regional teams holding leaders accountable for operational results and using data, discipline, and decisive leadership to elevate hospital performance and deliver consistent, scalable outcomes.

• Drive and reinforce disciplined execution of enterprise-designed programs (VCA and United in Care) by driving adoption, operational consistency, and alignment while minimizing stand-alone local solutions to ensure scalable, network-wide impact.

• Contribute to the design and execute growth strategies to expand access to high quality veterinary medicine through the implementation of new client acquisition initiatives and client engagement resources.

• Oversee Group financial and business performance, ensuring long-term health and sustainability of hospitals.

• Lead capital planning, facility improvements, and marketing strategy to elevate hospital performance and brand experience.

People Leadership and Culture & Talent Strategy

• Model VCA’s mission and The Five Principles of Mars, Inc., setting the cultural tone for the organization and fostering a purpose-driven, high-trust environment where teams thrive.

• Foster an inclusive and collaborative environment that prioritizes psychological safety and open communication and cultivates shared accountability across teams.

• Partner closely with Medical Operations, People & Organization, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Marketing, Facilities, and other support functions to drive alignment and unlock impact.

• Break down silos and bring a United in Care mindset to day-to-day operations and key business initiatives improving cross-hospital collaboration.

Medical Quality

• Model and support the Triad of Care model, work with Medical Affairs and Medical Operations leaders (Medical and Patient Care) to ensure consistent communication, effective resource use, and aligned medical training and Associate development programs across hospitals.

• Ensure consistent delivery of exceptional medical care, client experience as measured by NPS, and operational excellence across all hospitals.

• Partner with Medical Operations Leadership in attracting, hiring, onboarding, retaining, and developing veterinarians.

• In coordination with Field and Hospital Leadership, develop and support new doctors and new grad onboarding, training and integration into hospitals.

• Foster optimal doctor productivity by optimizing workflows, strengthening operational and development practices, delivering appropriate feedback, ensuring medical quality and outcomes remain reliable and consistent across hospitals.

* Fulfill other related duties as assigned*

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree / MBA or DVM Preferred

• 10+ Years Related Experience / 12+ Preferred

• Language Proficiency: Ability to reach, write and speak English

Computer Efficiency:

• Advanced digital fluency with productivity platforms, including MS365, leveraging cloud-based tools to enhance communication, planning, and operational execution.

Other:

• Ability to relocate for career pathing

• Participation in relevant national or state associations

*All degrees will be deemed “or equivalent combination of education and experience” unless absolutely required to do the job (i.e., DVM degree for Veterinarian, Law degree for Attorney, etc.)

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:

• Strong proficiency in data and analytics platforms (Excel, Power BI), with the ability to interpret complex data sets, extract actionable insights, and drive data-informed decision-making across a multi-site organization.

• Deep expertise in the veterinary, healthcare or related services industry.

• Strong command of hospital operations, P&L ownership, pricing strategy, contract negotiation, revenue optimization, and labor management within multi-site healthcare or service environments.

• Demonstrated ability to rapidly adopt emerging technologies, enterprise systems, and AI-enabled tools to modernize workflows, strengthen decision quality, and elevate operational efficiency in a dynamic environment.

• Ability to analyze and utilize reports and data to affect changes in a hospital environment and establish ROI and KPIs in collaboration with Field and Medical Operations leaders.

• Proven ability to integrate business discipline with medical priorities, ensuring operational decisions strengthen medical quality, efficiency, and overall hospital outcomes.

• Skilled communicator with the ability to craft, organize, and deliver complex ideas in a clear and engaging way to audiences at all levels.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic Mindset

• Global Perspective

• Drives Vision & Purpose

• Drives Engagement

• Builds Networks

• Ensures Accountability

• Situational Adaptability

• Managing Ambiguity

Working Conditions:

• Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, and move) up to 50 pounds. Lifting higher weights requires requesting assistance from another associate.

• Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate necessary equipment.

• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision.

• Occasionally exposed to airborne particles and illness from patients and chemicals related to animal care and office equipment.

• The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate.

• Environment where pets are present.

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Travel within the United States is required for this position up to 75% of the time based on demand.

Additional Information

Compensation is negotiable based on education, experience, and other relevant credentials. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $196,000-$250,000. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only.

If you are a current associate, you need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Jobs Hub app or search for Browse Jobs.

Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!

The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development).

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com.