Registered Veterinary Technician - Lead

Thrive Pet Healthcare; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 44,083 - 52,348; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer match

Mental health resources

Paid parental leave

Pet perks and veterinary service discounts

FREE CE courses

Job summary

Thrive Pet Healthcare in San Jose seeks a Lead Registered Veterinary Technician to manage the veterinary support team and ensure high-quality patient care. This role includes mentoring staff, overseeing operations, and maintaining compliance with hospital protocols.

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of experience, a California RVT license, and strong skills in surgery, anesthesia, and leadership. Benefits include competitive pay, a 401(k) match, mental health resources, and more.

Qualifications

• Active California RVT license required.
• Minimum 3 years of veterinary technician experience preferred.
• Strong surgery, anesthesia, and dentistry experience required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the clinical lead for the veterinary support team.
• Coach, mentor, and develop RVTs and veterinary assistants.
• Support onboarding and training of new team members.
• Reinforce hospital protocols and best practices.
• Partner with hospital leadership to improve communication.
• Lead daily patient flow and staff workflow.
• Oversee compliance with medical record standards.

Skills

Surgery

Anesthesia

Dentistry

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Education

Active California RVT license

Minimum 3 years of veterinary technician experience

Job description

Lead Registered Veterinary Technician

San Jose Animal Hospital, San Jose, CA

Schedule: 32-40 hours/week | Monday-Friday | No weekends or overnights.

Compensation: Negotiable based on experience and credentials, with an expected starting range of $32 – $38/hour.

Qualifications

• Active California RVT license required
• Minimum 3 years of veterinary technician experience
• Strong surgery, anesthesia, and dentistry experience required
• Previous leadership, training, mentoring, or coaching experience
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem‑solving skills
• Passion for team development, client education, and patient advocacy

Responsibilities

• Serve as the clinical lead for the veterinary support team, maintaining efficient workflow, patient flow, and daily hospital operations.
• Coach, mentor, and develop RVTs and veterinary assistants through hands‑on training, accountability, and ongoing skill development.
• Support onboarding and training of new team members and foster consistent application of hospital protocols and SOPs.
• Reinforce hospital protocols, SOPs, and best practices to promote consistency, efficiency, and high‑quality patient care.
• Partner with hospital leadership to identify workflow opportunities, improve communication, and support team performance.
• Lead daily patient flow and staff workflow, ensuring appointments, treatments, procedures, and client communications are completed efficiently and on time.
• Oversee compliance with controlled substance handling, inventory management, treatment documentation, and medical record standards.
• Serve as a technical resource for the team and assist with challenging cases, procedures, and patient care needs.
• Perform RVT duties as needed, including anesthesia monitoring, dental procedures, surgical support, patient nursing care, laboratory diagnostics, radiology, venipuncture, catheter placement, and endotracheal intubation.
• Assist throughout the hospital as needed to support patient care, client service, and operational efficiency.

Benefits – our care in action

• Competitive pay
• 401(k) with employer match
• Mental health resources, including easy access to therapy through Lyra Health
• Paid parental leave
• Purr-ental leave for when you adopt a pet
• Subsidized backup childcare and elder care
• Expert advice, support and network discounts for fertility and family planning
• FREE CE courses
• Pet perks and veterinary service discounts
• Student loan support tools and assistance
• Some benefits may be subject to waiting periods or length of service requirements.