Director, Experience and Culture

Abqpetcarehospital; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 170,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

National Veterinary Associates seeks a Director, Experience & Culture in Nashville to set strategy and operating models for improving team member engagement, culture, and daily experience across 1,300 sites and the support center.

Reporting to the VP of Talent & Organizational Effectiveness, you will translate values into scalable programs, lead the listening architecture, and drive recognition and belonging across the organization while coaching the Experience & Culture team.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive expertise in team member experience, engagement, organizational development, culture, change, talent management, people partnering, leadership development.
• Experience supporting large, multi-site distributed frontline-heavy organizations; veterinary services, healthcare, hospitality, or related settings preferred.
• Demonstrated ability translating priorities into scalable programs, governance, and sustained operating routines.
• Exceptional executive communication, facilitation, storytelling, and data-to-insight skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead a multi-year Experience & Culture strategy aligned with business priorities, values, and workforce needs across 1300 sites and the support center.
• Own the team member-listening strategy, including annual engagement surveys, pulse checks, lifecycle listening, and action-planning governance.
• Establish the culture and leadership-behavior framework with clear expectations and routines.
• Set experience standards across onboarding, tenure, transitions, leadership changes, development, and mobility.
• Develop field activation models, hospital playbooks, and leader toolkits with targeted interventions.
• Integrate culture considerations into transformations and major workforce initiatives; measure adoption and impact.
• Lead inclusion, belonging, and community-building strategies including ERGs and ally networks.
• Lead and develop the Experience & Culture team with clear accountability and rhythms.
• Manage operating plan, budget, vendors, governance, risks, and measurement; adjust investments by impact.

Skills

Team member experience

Engagement

Organizational development

Culture

Leadership development

People partnering

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

SHRM-SCP / SPHR

Gallup proficiency

Veterinary familiarity

Tools

Dayforce

HR systems

Job description

Role Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Job Summary

The Director, Experience & Culture sets the company strategy and operating model for strengthening team member engagement, culture, and the day-to-day team member experience across National Veterinary Associates. Reporting to the VP, Talent & Organizational Effectiveness, this role serves as a strategic advisor to People, Field Operations, Medical, and business leaders and translates NVA's values and people priorities into scalable programs, leadership practices, and measurable workforce outcomes. The Director owns the company team member-listening architecture, culture activation roadmap, recognition and belonging strategy, and experience standards across key moments in the team member lifecycle.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Define and lead a multi-year Experience & Culture strategy aligned with NVA's business priorities, People strategy, values, and workforce needs across 1300 sites and the support center
• Own the company team member-listening strategy, including annual engagement surveys, targeted pulse checks, lifecycle surveys, focus groups, qualitative listening, segmented insight generation, and action-planning governance
• Establish the company culture and leadership-behavior framework, translating NVA's values into clear expectations, practical leader routines, team agreements, and consistent ways of working
• Set experience standards across priority moments in the team member lifecycle, including onboarding, early tenure, role transitions, leadership changes, development, internal mobility, and exit
• Develop the field activation model for Experience & Culture, including hospital playbooks, leader toolkits, site champion networks, implementation guidance, and targeted interventions for hospitals, regions, or functions showing engagement or retention risk
• Integrate culture and team member-experience considerations into company transformations, acquisitions, operating-model changes, technology implementations, and major workforce initiatives; establish listening and adoption measures for affected populations
• Lead NVA's inclusion, belonging, and community-building strategy, including ally and team member resource groups, to foster connection, representation, and an environment where all team members can thrive
• Lead, coach, and develop the Experience & Culture team; establish clear accountabilities, operating rhythms, and performance expectations
• Manage the Experience & Culture operating plan, budget, technology, vendors, program governance, implementation risks, and measurement approach; evaluate program effectiveness and redirect investment when impact is not demonstrated

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

• Three-year Experience & Culture strategy and annual operating plan approved, funded, and translated into clear company priorities, milestones, accountabilities, and outcome measures
• Company team member-listening architecture implemented with annual survey, targeted pulses, lifecycle listening, segmented insight readouts, confidentiality standards, and action-planning governance across all divisions
• NVA culture and leadership-behavior framework developed and embedded into onboarding, leadership development, performance expectations, recognition, communications, and team routines
• Experience & Culture dashboard and quarterly executive review established with actionable trends, workforce risks, intervention priorities, and progress against company outcomes

Success Metrics/KPIs

• Engagement index: year-over-year improvement in favorable responses on core engagement items at company, division, region, and hospital levels
• Action-plan completion and effectiveness: percentage of required plans completed on time and measurable improvement in the priority items addressed
• Priority-site recovery rate: percentage of identified hospitals or regions showing sustained improvement in engagement, leadership, wellbeing, or retention indicators following intervention
• Recognition reach and participation: percentage of team members giving or receiving meaningful recognition and representation across roles, locations, and work schedules
• Program adoption and impact: participation, completion, behavior change, and targeted workforce outcomes for culture, leadership, onboarding, wellbeing, and recognition programs
• Team member confidence in follow-through: favorable response to whether leaders listen, communicate actions, and make meaningful improvements based on feedback

Key Internal and External Stakeholders

Internal: Chief People Officer; VP, Talent; People Leadership Team; People Business Partners (PBPs); Field Operations and Medical Operations leadership; Internal Communications; Learning & Development; Talent Management and Succession; People Operations; People Analytics and People Systems; Total Rewards and Benefits; Talent Acquisition; Inclusion & Belonging; Legal, Compliance, and Safety; M&A and Integration teams; and hospital leadership teams.

External: Engagement and pulse-survey platform vendors; recognition technology providers; wellbeing, mental-health, and team member-assistance partners; leadership?development and executive-coaching providers; culture and organizational-development consultants; facilitation and learning partners; employer-brand agencies; veterinary professional associations; and healthcare and workforce benchmarking organizations.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressive expertise in team member experience, engagement, organizational development, culture, change, talent management, people partnering, leadership development, or closely related People roles
• Experience supporting large, multi-site, distributed, frontline-heavy organizations; veterinary services, healthcare, hospitality, retail health, or another clinical or service environment strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing a company Experience & Culture strategy and translating broad priorities into scalable programs, field tools, governance, and sustained operating routines
• Experience advising senior executives and influencing leaders across People, Operations, Medical, and other functions in a complex, matrixed organization
• Experience integrating culture and team member experience into acquisitions, reorganizations, technology implementations, or other complex company transformations preferred
• Exceptional executive communication, facilitation, storytelling, and data-to-insight skills, with the ability to simplify complex workforce issues for varied audiences

Education / Certifications / Licensing

• Bachelor's degree in People Management, Organizational Development, Industrial?Organizational Psychology, Communications, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required
• Master's degree in Organizational Development, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related discipline preferred
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or a comparable senior-level People certification preferred
• Certification or demonstrated proficiency in Gallup, or a comparable tool preferred
• Familiarity with People systems, analytics, learning, recognition, and workflow platforms such as Dayforce, , or comparable systems preferred
• Veterinary or clinical license is not required; familiarity with veterinary healthcare, clinical teams, or 24/7 care environments is strongly preferred

Job requirements, including essential job responsibilities, key deliverables and outcomes, and success metrics, are subject to change based on business needs

Compensation

FLSA Status: Exempt, Salaried

Base Salary: $170,000-180,000

Annual Incentive Plan: 20%

National Veterinary Associates is a leading global pet care organization united in the love of animals and the people who love them. At NVA, we’re on a mission to improve the lives of pets and the people who love them. That starts by empowering our care teams. We nurture their growth with resources to practice medicine their way. Our network of 1,000 hospitals connects them to a community of professionals who share their passion so they can learn and grow together. Our national presence enables us to deliver technology and innovations that simplify work and expand care for all. At NVA, we're committed to your professional growth. We support your entire career journey, offering opportunities ranging from mentorship to ownership.

NVA offers a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, a 401k with employer match, and paid time off (including sick time) for all eligible employees. The team can provide more information about compensation and benefits for your specific location during the process. For positions based in Colorado, NVA provides eligible employees with paid sick and safe leave and public health emergency leave in accordance with the requirements of Colorado's Healthy Families and Workplaces Act.

NVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.