Director of Nursing

This role will play an important part in shaping the next chapter of our combined organization and advancing our shared mission to transform veterinary care.

Overview
Mission: Every nurse at every Small Door practice works to one standard, and every nurse, from assistant to leader, has a clear, skills-verified path to grow with us.

The Director of Nursing does three things:

• Sets and holds the nursing standard: protocols, skill benchmarks for every level, quality audits, and the accountability loop with Practice Managers and regional leadership.
• Builds and leads the Clinical Nurse Trainer program: onboarding, practice openings, integrations, and support for practices below standard.
• Owns the nursing career ladder and talent pipeline: one path from assistant to credentialed nurse to Managing Nurse and Clinical Nurse Trainer, plus the externship and credentialing pathways that feed it, in partnership with Talent and People.

This is a senior leadership role. Practice Managers manage nursing teams; you lead through the standard, the trainer program, and the ladder.

What You’ll Do

Set and Hold the Nursing Standard

• Refine and expand our nursing standards and protocols with the CMO and clinical quality leadership, keeping them current, evidence-based, and aligned to AAHA standards.
• Own our nursing quality audits and skills benchmarks, and equip Practice Managers to know what "good" looks like.
• Close the loop on gaps through action plans with Practice Managers, targeted trainer support, and escalation to regional operations and medical leadership.
• Lead nursing convergence for new openings and integrating practices as part of our broader clinical integration work.

Build and Lead the Clinical Nurse Trainer Program

• Own the program end to end, including scope, selection and promotion criteria, training, and metrics.
• Create its operating structure: training shift scheduling, shift agendas, and accountability reporting.
• Deploy trainers where they have the most impact: new hire onboarding (when their home location cannot support), practice openings, integrations, and practices below standard.

Own the Nursing Career Ladder and Talent Pipeline

• First priority: update and own a single Small Door nursing ladder with titles and levels from assistant to nursing leadership, state-by-state scope of practice for assistants, and a skills-verified promotion process.
• Own the level definitions and clinical skills screen used in recruiting, and build relationships with schools and externship programs, in partnership with Talent and People.
• Grow credentialing pathways for assistants and in-house advanced skills training where regulations allow, and use fair, transparent promotion to drive retention.

Time Allocation and Work Model

• Hybrid, with roughly 75% of time in the field across all practices.
• Up to 50% travel to all practices

What You Bring

• Credentialed veterinary nurse or technician (LVT, CVT, or RVT) in good standing.
• 7+ years of veterinary nursing experience, including 3+ years leading nursing across multiple practices or at a regional, program, or director level.
• Operations experience creating, executing, and scaling programs, and leading through influence.
• Experience designing career ladders, competency frameworks, or skills-based promotion processes.
• A track record in nursing training, recruitment, and retention.
• Strong command of clinical nursing standards across general practice, including surgery and anesthesia.
• Location: NYC preferred, any market that we operate in considered; up to 50% travel to all practices

Preferred

• Experience standardizing nursing care across practices or markets, including through openings or integrations.
• Experience designing competency-based anesthesia training; VTS certification is a plus.

Who You Are

• A nursing leader with clinical credibility and executive presence, who leads through influence.
• An operator and systems builder who turns strategy into scalable programs.
• A people and talent developer who raises the standard without diminishing morale.
• A business-minded leader with the financial literacy to connect nursing decisions to labor costs, productivity, and practice performance.

What Success Looks Like

• A single Small Door Vet nursing career ladder is adopted across all practices.
• The Clinical Nurse Trainer program is live and deployed in every market.
• One set of nursing standards is in place, with quality audits running consistently and gaps resolved.
• New and integrating practices reach our nursing standard quickly.
• Strong nurse retention and internal promotion.
• More LVT hires and more assistants becoming credentialed.

What You'll Get

• Competitive salary ($120,000 - $140,000)
• Health, dental + vision insurance
• 401K (plus 4% company match)
• Generous paid-time off, parental leave, and company wide holidays
• Commuter benefits, Monthly Health & Wellness stipend
• Discounted veterinary care for your loved ones
• Growth opportunities
• An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you
• A collaborative group of people who live our core values and have your back

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