Manager Clinical Support- Large Animal

Animal Emergency & Specialty Center - Knoxville; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center (LVMC) at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine seeks an experienced leader to manage the Large Animal Hospital clinical support team. You will oversee staffing, training, and daily operations, and partner with clinicians to support patient care and the teaching mission for veterinary students, interns, and residents.

Ideal candidates will have an Associate’s degree and 5 years of related leadership experience in veterinary or healthcare

Qualifications

• Experience leading clinical staff in veterinary or healthcare settings.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for education and collaboration.
• Ability to develop staff, improve processes, and ensure patient care standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the Large Animal Hospital clinical support team.
• Coordinate staffing across shifts to ensure appropriate coverage and patient care.
• Collaborate with faculty and hospital leadership on medical, diagnostic, and surgical activities; drive improvements.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and process improvements.
• Partner with HR and leadership on employee relations, performance management, and staff development.
• Lead workforce planning and ensure optimal utilization of personnel resources.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Communication

Education

Associate’s degree

Job description

The Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center (LVMC) at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as our Manager, Clinical Support - Large Animal Hospital. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact within one of the nation's premier veterinary teaching hospitals by leading a dedicated clinical support team committed to exceptional patient care, innovation, and education.

In this role, you will partner with clinicians and hospital leadership to oversee the daily operations of the Large Animal Hospital while supporting a talented team of veterinary technicians, animal caretakers, and student employees. You'll play a key role in developing staff, fostering a positive and engaging workplace culture, and ensuring the hospital delivers outstanding care to patients while providing an exceptional learning experience for veterinary students, interns, and residents.

As a leader in our 24-hour teaching hospital, you will coordinate staffing across multiple shifts, optimize clinical operations, and drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance patient care, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the Large Animal Hospital clinical support team.
  Supervise, coach, mentor, and develop veterinary technicians, animal caretakers, and student employees, including hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance management, and professional development.
• Coordinate employee schedules across multiple shifts to ensure appropriate staffing levels while supporting patient care, employee well-being, and operational needs.
• Collaborate with faculty, house officers, hospital leadership, and clinical services to coordinate medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures.
  Evaluate staffing, equipment, inventory, and facility needs, making recommendations and implementing solutions to improve efficiency and patient care.
  Support the teaching mission by assisting veterinary technicians in training veterinary students and providing feedback on student performance during clinical rotations.
• Promote a positive, collaborative culture focused on teamwork, communication, continuous improvement, and exceptional client service.
  Ensure compliance with hospital policies, university procedures, regulatory requirements, and workplace safety standards.
• Partner with Human Resources and hospital leadership to support employee relations, performance management, corrective action, workplace accommodations, leave administration, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Lead workforce planning activities and collaborate with hospital leadership to identify staffing needs, support position development, and ensure appropriate utilization of personnel resources.
• Develop, review, and maintain standard operating procedures and support process improvement initiatives that enhance patient care, safety, and operational effectiveness.

This position works both independently and collaboratively with hospital leadership, clinical services, and Veterinary Clinical Sciences within a large animal veterinary teaching hospital environment. Because the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center provides patient care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the manager must be available to support operational needs outside of normal business hours when necessary. This may include responding to urgent staffing issues, answering employee questions, and occasionally working evenings, weekends, holidays, or on-call shifts to ensure continuity of patient care. The position may involve exposure to animals, animal dander, odors, noise, zoonotic diseases, animal waste, and other veterinary clinical conditions.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader who is passionate about developing teams, supporting clinical excellence, and fostering a positive workplace culture. They possess strong operational acumen, excellent communication skills, and the ability to balance employee development, patient care priorities, and organizational objectives in a complex veterinary healthcare environment.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

Associate’s degree and 5 years of related experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous leadership or management experience in a veterinary or healthcare setting, including supervision of clinical staff, performance management, and employee development.
• Experience working in a veterinary teaching hospital, academic medical center, or specialty/referral practice, including hands‑on experience providing animal care and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience developing and implementing employee training, onboarding, mentoring, and continuing education programs.
  Experience supporting veterinary technician, intern, resident, or student training programs within a teaching hospital environment.
• Demonstrated success leading operational improvement initiatives, developing standard operating procedures, and implementing process improvements.
  Licensed Veterinary Technician (RVT, CVT, or LVT) or a degree in Veterinary Technology, Animal Science, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.