Director of Veterinary Nursing Operations

Director of Veterinary Nursing Operations, Multi-Site, East Region

Compensation: $120,000.00 - $140,000.00/yr based on experience                                      Location: Remote with up to 50% travel. Ideal candidates will be based in the eastern United States, with convenient access to a major airport.
 

Help shape what great veterinary nursing looks like across NVA. 

We are looking for an experienced leader who is passionate about helping nursing teams and hospital leaders thrive. 
 

As a Director of Nursing Operations (DNO), you will partner with hospitals across an assigned region to strengthen nursing leadership, improve nursing operations, support exceptional patient care, and create environments where veterinary nurses and assistants can grow and do their best work. 

This is a highly collaborative, field-based role. You will spend time in hospitals building relationships, understanding their unique opportunities and challenges, coaching nursing and hospital leaders, and helping teams identify practical solutions that work for their hospital. 

You will also help connect hospitals with the broader resources, expertise, tools, and best practices available across NVA so that individual hospitals can benefit from being part of a larger veterinary community. 

The DNO supports NVA GP, NVA Canada, Ethos, and Pet Resorts locations within an assigned region and works closely with regional partners across medicine, operations, people, and talent acquisition. 

Why This Role Matters 

Great nursing operations have an impact far beyond any single metric. They influence the experience of our patients and clients, the ability of our doctors to practice medicine effectively, the development and retention of our nursing teams, and the overall health of our hospitals. 

The DNO has the opportunity to help hospitals build nursing teams that are clinically strong, operationally effective, engaged in their work, and proud of the care they provide — while giving those hospitals access to the collective knowledge and resources of the broader NVA community. 

What You'll Do 

• Partner with hospitals to strengthen nursing operations 

• Build trusted relationships with hospital nursing, medical, and operational leaders and serve as a resource and thought partner for nursing-related opportunities and challenges.  

• Spend time in hospitals observing workflows, listening to teams, and helping leaders identify practical ways to improve patient flow, nursing utilization, team experience, and operational performance.  

• Help hospitals build strong nursing foundations through effective onboarding, SOPs, training programs, communication practices, and leadership routines.  

• Connect hospitals with tools, programs, subject matter experts, and successful practices from across NVA that can support their goals.  

• Help hospital leaders use data and nursing metrics to understand opportunities, measure progress, and celebrate successes.  

Develop and support nursing leaders and teams 

• Coach and mentor hospital nursing leaders, helping them grow their leadership skills and build strong, engaged teams.  

• Support career development for veterinary nurses and assistants, including competency development, career pathways, and VTS opportunities.  

• Help nursing leaders create environments where team members feel valued, supported, and able to contribute at the highest level of their skills and credentials.  

• Partner with hospital leaders on strategies that strengthen engagement, wellbeing, communication, recognition, and retention.  

• Create connections among nursing leaders across the region so they can learn from one another and share ideas and successful practices.  

Advance nursing utilization and patient care 

• Help hospitals build nursing models that allow veterinary assistants, veterinary nurses, and VTSs to work to the fullest extent of their skills, training, and credential.  

• Partner with nursing leaders on staffing, scheduling, forecasting, and labor planning so staffing models support both patient needs and sustainable workloads.  

• Support nursing practice standards, evidence-based care, patient safety, and regulatory requirements.  

• Help hospitals identify opportunities to improve workflows and use nursing talent effectively to support patients, clients, doctors, and the overall hospital team.  

• Bring the nursing perspective to hospital expansions, new builds, and other operational planning when appropriate.  

Collaborate across NVA 

• Work alongside regional leaders in medicine, operations, people, and talent acquisition so nursing perspectives are included in regional conversations and planning.  

• Partner with other Directors of Nursing Operations to share learning, develop resources, and spread successful practices across the organization.  

• Collaborate with the Director of Transfusion Medicine to support strong blood banking and transfusion medicine practices within the region.  

• Share insights from hospitals with the Nursing Strategy & Operations team so enterprise programs and resources continue to evolve based on what our teams need.  

Education, License & Job Requirements 

• CVT, RVT, or LVT required  

• Degree in veterinary technology required  

• Passing score on the Veterinary Technician National Examination required  

• VTS certification preferred  

• Ability to travel up to 50% within the assigned region  

Skills & Experience 

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in veterinary nursing, including multi site or regional scope 

• Demonstrated expertise in nursing utilization, labor management, operational performance, and business operations, with proven ability to connect nursing strategy to financial and hospital outcomes 

• Proven success in cultural transformation and building high functioning leadership teams 

• Strong communication, organizational, and change management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and regional partners 

• Experience developing and implementing strategic initiatives that improve both financial and clinical results 

• Involvement in national or state veterinary nursing committees, with industry conference speaking or presentation experience preferred 

 
About Ethos Veterinary Health 
Ethos Veterinary Health, part of the NVA Group, is where you come to practice world-class medicine, and help shape what veterinary care becomes next. 

Across our network of 140 specialty and emergency hospitals, science moves forward, standards are elevated, and innovation is put into practice every day. You’ll work alongside respected veterinary leaders in academic-caliber hospitals designed for learning, teaching, and discovery. 

Here, mentorship is a two-way street. You’ll share your expertise, learn from others, and continue to grow, clinically, professionally, and personally. 

At Ethos, you inspire hope, deliver exceptional care, and pursue veterinary medicine at its highest level, together. 
 
Join Us 
At Ethos, this isn’t just a job, it’s an opportunity to practice medicine at the highest level and help shape the future of veterinary care. 
 
Equal Opportunity Employer 
Ethos is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Ethos does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, competence, merit, and business need.