Area Practice Manager

Location: Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrexham

Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday–Friday

Lead teams. Develop people. Make a difference.

Are you an experienced multi-site leader looking for a role where you can shape performance, develop people and make a genuine difference?

At Animal Trust, we believe everyone should have access to affordable veterinary care. As an independently owned Community Interest Company (CIC), our purpose is to put pets before profit and support the communities we serve.

We're looking for an Area Practice Manager (APM) to lead the clinical and operational success of our Shropshire and North Wales region, with direct accountability for our Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrexham sites.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of regional performance, work closely with clinical and operational leaders, and empower our teams to deliver outstanding patient care and client service. You'll be visible, hands-on and actively involved in developing our people, improving performance and supporting the continued growth of our organisation.

What you'll be doing

As Area Practice Manager, you'll play a key role in creating an environment where teams can thrive, leaders can develop and our services continue to grow sustainably.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing people: Provide strong, supportive leadership to Practice Managers, vets, nurses and support teams, building engagement, accountability and a positive team culture.
• Driving operational and financial performance: Take accountability for regional performance, using P&L management, KPIs and cost control to identify opportunities and deliver improvements.
• Maintaining high standards: Ensure regulatory compliance and practice standards are maintained across all sites, working collaboratively with clinical colleagues to support excellent patient care.
• Delivering an outstanding client experience: Improve the client journey, service delivery and operational efficiency across the region.
• Supporting growth and expansion: Lead the operational introduction of new sites and help shape the future development of our services.
• Managing workforce planning: Maintain appropriate staffing levels, oversee rota management and ensure teams are organised to deliver safe, effective and productive services.
• Supporting out-of-hours services: Participate in a shared operational on-call rota, providing support to our teams when needed.

You'll work across Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrexham from Monday to Friday, staying connected to the teams and understanding the challenges and opportunities at each location.

What we're looking for

We're keen to hear from leaders who can combine strong operational management with a genuine passion for people and service delivery.

You'll ideally bring:

• Proven leadership experience in a multi-site environment, preferably within healthcare, veterinary care or another service-led sector.
• Experience managing financial performance, budgets, P&L and operational KPIs.
• The ability to develop managers, build effective teams and lead through others.
• A hands-on, visible leadership style, with the confidence to challenge, coach and support colleagues.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance competing priorities across multiple locations.
• A commitment to high standards, continuous improvement and excellent patient and client experiences.

You don't need to have built your career exclusively in veterinary practice. If you have the right operational leadership experience, understand people and performance, and are motivated by our purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

What we offer

We recognise the importance of supporting the people who make our services possible.

Our benefits include:

• 6 weeks' annual leave, including bank holidays.
• 52 weeks' sickness benefit, subject to the applicable policy.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity packages.
• Contributory pension scheme (4%).
• 20% staff discount.
• Perkbox discounts.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Electric vehicle company car scheme (salary Sacrifice)
• Refer-a-Friend bonus.
• Time off in lieu (TOIL) for eligible operational on-call commitments.

Salary: £45,000 - £53,000 DOE

Hours and on-call commitments

• 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• Shared operational on-call rota of 1:11 weekends, with TOIL.
• Shared bank holiday on-call responsibilities.

The role requires travel between Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrexham according to the needs of the practices.

Why Animal Trust?

At Animal Trust, our purpose goes beyond providing veterinary services. As an independently owned CIC, we're committed to making veterinary care more affordable and accessible, while supporting our teams to deliver the care pets deserve.

This is an opportunity to influence how our services operate, develop future leaders and make a tangible difference across a region.

If you're an experienced multi-site leader looking for a meaningful next step, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today to find out more about joining Animal Trust as our Area Practice Manager for Shropshire and North Wales: https://animaltrust.bamboohr.com/careers/1189?source=aWQ9NA%3D%3D