Deputy Hospital Manager - Victoria

Blue Cross For Pets; City Of London; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animal welfare charity in London is seeking a Deputy Hospital Manager to support daily operations and manage staff at their Victoria Animal Hospital. This role involves overseeing reception operations, ensuring excellent service, and maintaining financial processes. The ideal candidate will have experience in a customer-facing environment, with strong leadership and financial management skills. A commitment to animal welfare and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment are essential for success.

Benefits

38 days holiday rising to 43 with service

Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support

Free access to 24/7 GP services

Health cash plan

Employee assistance programme

Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution

Professional fees paid

Life assurance

20% discount on Pet Plan pet insurance

Enhanced family friendly policies

Annual volunteer days

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy customer-facing environment.
• Experience supervising or managing staff teams.
• Strong communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Experience in financial management, including cashing up and reconciliation.

Responsibilities

• Support Hospital Manager in daily operations and service development.
• Provide direct line management to receptionists, administrators, and van drivers.
• Ensure reception teams deliver consistently excellent service.
• Oversee financial processes and compliance with regulations.
• Ensure safe and efficient operation of reception areas.

Skills

Experience in a busy customer-facing environment

Supervising or managing staff teams

Strong communication and conflict resolution skills

Financial management, including cashing up and reconciliation

Job description

Deputy Hospital Manager - Victoria

Application Deadline: 7 December 2025

Department: Veterinary Services

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Victoria animal hospital

Reporting To: Hospital Services Manager

Compensation: £31,830 - £37,012 / year

Description

Contract: Permanent, full time (42 hours per week)

Salary: £31,830 - £37,012 p/annum plus £3,954 London Weighting Allowance

Location: Victoria Animal Hospital, London

Closing date: Sunday 7th December 2025

Interview dates: 12th and 15th December 2025

Help us change lives — one pet at a time.

Blue Cross is a leading animal welfare charity dedicated to improving the lives of pets and the people who love them. Our veterinary hospitals provide essential care to pets whose owners might otherwise struggle to afford treatment and we’re now seeking a compassionate, organised, and forward‑thinking Deputy Hospital Manager to help us continue this vital work.

More about the role

As Deputy Hospital Manager, you will support the Hospital Manager in overseeing all aspects of the hospital’s daily operations while contributing to long‑term planning and service development. This role is ideal for someone currently working as a Practice Manager or Head of Receptionist in a clinical setting who is ready to step into a broader, mission‑driven leadership opportunity.

You will provide direct line management for our receptionists, administrators and van drivers, taking responsibility for recruitment, induction, rotas, training and performance management. Ensuring our reception teams deliver consistently excellent service will be central to your role. You will also ensure all financial processes from cashing up to payment plans and debt collection are completed accurately and in line with internal policies and external regulations.

A core part of your responsibilities will be ensuring reception areas operate safely and efficiently, adhering to health and safety requirements, data protection rules and organisational SOPs. You will oversee robust stock control processes for both clinical and non‑clinical items, ensure all non‑clinical complaints are processed appropriately, and work closely with clinical and non‑clinical colleagues to maintain smooth and joined‑up client journeys.

Alongside this, you will provide comprehensive administration services that support our clinical teams in delivering veterinary care to thousands of pets each year. You will act as deputy to the Hospital Manager whenever required and will play an active role in continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance reception and client services, making them more efficient, effective and aligned with the needs of the hospital. Experience in fundraising or events is a valuable advantage and will help strengthen our community engagement efforts.

About you

You’ll be an excellent problem‑solver who thrives in a fast‑paced environment with multiple competing demands. Your ability to prioritise, communicate clearly and delegate with confidence will help you balance the needs of diverse teams. You’ll bring strong leadership experience, ideally from a veterinary or clinical setting and a genuine interest in strategic thinking and shaping future services. Above all, you’ll share our commitment to supporting pets and the people who love them.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience:

• Experience in a busy customer facing environment
• Experience supervising or managing staff teams
• Strong communication and conflict resolution skills
• Experience of financial management, including cashing up and reconciliation

Although not essential, it would be great if you also had:

• Experience in a hospital, clinic, or veterinary environment
• Experience in staff recruitment, training, and development
• Understanding of animal welfare and client care issues

How to apply

Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.

Blue Cross benefits

Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today.

In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are.

Our generous benefits package includes:

• Full time equivalent of 38 days holiday rising to 43 with service (including Bank Holidays)
• Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
• Free access to GP via MetLife- 24/7 GP services, private prescriptions and more for you and your family
• Health cash plan
• Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
• Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
• Professional fees paid with Continuing Professional Development and personal development support.
• Life assurance
• 20% discount on Pet Plan pet insurance
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Recognition scheme
• Annual volunteer days
• Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers

To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the "why work for us" page on our website.