A senior leadership opportunity in a growing, progressive veterinary business.
Ballarat Veterinary Practice is looking for an experienced operational leader to join our team as Head of Companion Animal Operations (HCAO).
With four established Companion Animal clinics across Ballarat and a new clinic in Bacchus Marsh currently in development, this is an exciting time to join BVP.
The Head of Companion Animal Operations will provide senior operational leadership across our Companion Animal group, working closely with our experienced Clinic Managers, Companion Animal Directors, HR and other leaders across BVP.
It is a broad and influential role for someone who enjoys working with capable people, seeing the bigger picture and turning ideas, information and opportunities into practical action.
About BVP
Ballarat Veterinary Practice is a large, progressive veterinary business with a proud history of caring for animals and their people across Ballarat and the surrounding region.
Our business encompasses a network of Companion Animal clinics as well as our Equine hospital and ambulatory services, supported by a diverse team of veterinarians, veterinary nurses and support professionals.
As we have grown, we have remained focused on something that matters enormously to us: building a workplace where talented people can do great work, develop professionally and enjoy being part of the team around them.
Our values of Teamwork, Respect, Professionalism and Compassion underpin the way we work and the expectations we have of ourselves and one another.
We are proud to be recognised as an AVA Employer of Choice, reflecting our commitment to creating a positive and sustainable veterinary workplace.
We invest in our people through professional development, leadership development and opportunities for career progression. We actively identify and develop emerging leaders and believe that building capability within our team is fundamental to the future of our business.
We also believe that a rewarding veterinary career should be sustainable. Our Companion Animal teams work an eight-day fortnight, supporting genuine time away from work and a better balance between professional and personal life.
About the role
The Head of Companion Animal Operations is a senior leadership role working across all BVP Companion Animal clinics.
Our clinics are led locally by experienced Clinic Managers who understand their teams, clients and individual clinic environments. They will continue to have responsibility and appropriate autonomy for the day-to-day leadership and operation of their clinics.
The HCAO brings an additional, whole-of-business perspective.
Working collaboratively with our Clinic Managers, you will help connect the individual clinics, support effective planning and decision-making across the group, identify opportunities to share knowledge and resources,



and ensure our people and operational priorities remain aligned as the business grows.
You will also provide an important connection between our clinics and Companion Animal Directors, bringing together operational insight from across the group and helping translate broader business priorities into effective action.
This is a role with considerable variety. On any given week, your focus might include workforce planning, supporting a Clinic Manager with a complex operational matter, reviewing business performance, considering future capability requirements, collaborating with HR on recruitment strategy, improving a cross-site process or contributing to planning for our new Moorabool clinic.
The common thread is having the perspective to look across the business, understand how the pieces fit together and help good people make valuable decisions.
Your areas of focus
You will:
provide senior operational leadership across our Companion Animal clinics
lead and support our Clinic Managers, providing a trusted senior sounding board, coaching, perspective and guidance when required
bring Clinic Managers together to strengthen collaboration, share ideas and good practice, and make the most of the capability that exists across our business
maintain a forward-looking view of workforce requirements, capability, succession and resourcing across the Companion Animal group
work closely with HR and other leaders on recruitment, retention, leadership development and workforce planning
maintain oversight of operational and commercial performance and use business information to identify emerging trends, risks and opportunities
help ensure our people and resources are rostered effectively across clinics while respecting the needs and priorities of individual sites
identify opportunities to improve systems, workflows and ways of working across the group
support continued development of nursing and support-team capability and career pathways
strengthen communication and alignment between our clinics, Directors and broader leadership team
contribute to the establishment of our new Moorabool clinic and its successful integration into BVP.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for an experienced leader who enjoys working in a complex, people-focused environment and is ready to operate across a broader business.
You will be someone who naturally builds relationships and credibility with other experienced leaders. You will listen well,



ask good questions and be comfortable bringing together different perspectives before determining the best way forward.
You will also be able to move comfortably between people, operations and commercial considerations, understanding that good decisions rarely sit entirely within one of those areas.
We expect you will bring:
substantial leadership experience, ideally including leadership of managers or senior team leaders
strong relationship‐building and people-management capability
well‐developed operational and commercial judgement
the ability to analyse information, recognise patterns and translate these into practical action
confidence communicating and collaborating with senior leaders
experience working across multiple teams, services or locations
the ability to navigate competing priorities and complex situations with sound judgement
experience contributing to operational improvement and successfully implementing change
maturity, resilience, curiosity and discretion
a leadership approach that aligns strongly with our values of Teamwork, Respect, Professionalism and Compassion.
Experience within the veterinary industry would be highly regarded, particularly experience within a multi‐site veterinary business.
However, we are also interested in hearing from exceptional operational leaders from healthcare, allied health or other complex service environments who can demonstrate strong leadership capability and an ability to understand the unique operating environment of veterinary practice.
A veterinary nursing qualification is not essential for this position.
Why make the move to BVP?
This is an opportunity to join a substantial and established veterinary business at an exciting point in its development.
You will inherit strong foundations: established clinics, strong local reputation, experienced leaders, a highly capable veterinary and nursing workforce and a business that is prepared to continue investing in its people and its future.
At the same time, there is plenty still to build. Our fifth Companion Animal clinic creates opportunities to think differently about how we share capability, develop careers, plan our workforce and work together across locations. As Head of Companion Animal Operations, you will have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to that next stage.
You will be part of a workplace that takes professional development seriously, values strong leadership and believes that people should have opportunities to grow without necessarily having to leave regional Victoria to find them.
And you will do it while living and working in the Ballarat region, with the lifestyle benefits of a major regional centre and a role that offers both professional challenge and genuine work‐life balance.
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📌 Head Of Companion Animal Operations (Ballarat)
🏢 Ballarat Veterinary Practice
📍 Ballarat