Area Director - Southeast (Essex & Suffolk) in Rowhedge

Home‑based role with extensive regional travel. Full‑time, Monday–Friday (40 hours per week). Competitive salary. Closing date: 27th April (subject to change).

IVC Evidensia is the UK and Europe’s leading veterinary care group, made up of over 900 practices and referral hospitals, united by a shared purpose of happier animals, happier owners. At IVC Evidensia, we believe careers should be built without limits. Our people are supported to make more clinical impact, access more career opportunities, and play an active role in their local and professional communities. Through investment in learning, innovation, and wellbeing, we create environments where our teams can grow in confidence, capability, and fulfilment – at every stage of their career.

As part of this continued growth, we’re looking for an exceptional Area Director to join our Southeast leadership team, with a specific focus on Essex & Suffolk. This is a home‑based leadership role requiring extensive travel across the region, working closely with practices to inspire, support and lead high‑performing teams.

How You’ll Make a Difference

As Area Director, you’ll work closely with the Regional Director and Area Support Manager, providing strategic, operational and commercial leadership across your area. Your focus will be on delivering exceptional clinical quality and client care while developing sustainable, high‑performing teams. You’ll collaborate with Central Support functions to embed our values – We Care, We Dare, We Share – and play a key role in recruiting, developing and retaining outstanding veterinary talent. This is a leadership role for someone who enjoys variety, influence and impact, and who thrives on building strong relationships across multiple sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Ambassador of our values and responsible for embedding our company culture.
• Mobilise the UK strategy within an area through facilitating best practice sharing, growing effective communication channels between practices, and supporting the rollout of VCOs and other initiatives.
• Oversee the operational and commercial performance of practices within your Area.
• Attraction, retention and engagement of staff across the area.
• Work closely with Area Support Manager, demonstrating an aligned approach to Area priorities, performance and improvements.
• Line manage Clinical Directors.
• Support future network planning and growth initiatives by providing strategic information and input as necessary.

Must hold full and valid driving licence.

You Might Be a Great Fit If

• At least 5 years leadership experience, with proven coaching and mentoring skills, and a desire to develop our people.
• Proven ability to maximise clinical and financial performance of individuals and teams.
• A keen understanding of key Financial & Clinical KPI’s without direction, to then identify actions to improve performance across individuals and teams.
• Strong people skills (engaging, educating, motivating, inspiring) to ensure you can bring together diverse teams across multiple sites.
• A leader who can collaborate with their team and peers, able to lean into High Challenge & High Support.
• A trailblazer with a well‑developed set of demonstratable emotional intelligence skills, you can recognise who needs what and when.
• Vision to lead for the future, someone agile, resilient, dynamic and results driven to deliver excellence.
• An influencer who listens well, is authentic & trustworthy whilst not afraid to challenge the status quo.
• An exceptional communicator, who can deliver the key strategic vision with a strong emphasis on the ‘why’, as well as the ‘what’.

Additional Requirements

• Full and valid UK driving licence.
• Willingness to travel extensively across Essex, Suffolk and the wider Southeast.
• Ability to work up to 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

How We’ll Support You

• Overall leadership of a region with the autonomy to shape strategy, culture, and performance.
• Senior‑level influence across operations, client experience, and business outcomes.
• Opportunities to lead large‑scale change and drive long‑term organisational impact.
• Ongoing learning and development to support executive and leadership growth.
• A collaborative, values‑led culture focused on care, community, and continuous improvement.

What We Offer

• Work‑life balance.
• 6.8 weeks annual leave including BH.
• Private medical insurance.
• Enhanced family leave and pay across maternity, paternity, adoption and surrogacy.
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy.
• Retail discounts and cashback offers.
• Reduced‑cost veterinary care for your own pets.
• Car allowance of £475 per month or a company car.

If you’re an inspiring leader who’s passionate about people, performance and purpose, we’d love to hear from you.