Medical Director / Veterinarian (DVM) | ArkVets North Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona at ArkVets

JOB DESCRIPTION FIELD

If you’re a doctor who leads by example on a full schedule, takes ownership of the medicine in your building, and wants a real voice in how a practice grows, keep reading. If you’re looking for a leadership title without the clinical work, or a slow schedule, this isn’t the right fit, and we’ll respect you for knowing that.

At a glance

• Medical Director role at our largest, newest, and most fully equipped hospital
• $190,000 base + $10,000 medical director stipend, ProSal, no negative accrual, vacation doesn’t count against production
• 30-minute standard appointments, so you have time to do the medicine right
• Blocked records time every shift
• No mandatory on-call. Shift coverage is voluntary.
• 3 techs per DVM, more with experience
• Signing bonus based on experience
• 8,600 sq ft, purpose-built two years ago; endoscopy on-site
• Join a peer group of medical directors across all three hospitals. You’re not carrying medical leadership alone.

Why ArkVets exists
We started ArkVets because we believed veterinary medicine could be practiced differently, in hospitals where doctors are trusted, techs are developed, and clients are told the truth about their pets’ care without being pressured into it. We’re locally and family owned, three hospitals across Metro Phoenix, and we intend to stay that way.

We’re not a chain. We’re not a rollup. There’s no regional VP flying in with a new script. When something’s broken, you can tell the owner directly, and she’ll answer. When something works, it becomes part of how we practice everywhere.

That independence is the point. It’s what lets us keep estimates transparent, protect our doctors from burnout, and invest in the equipment and people who make good medicine possible.

About ArkVets North Phoenix
North Phoenix is our newest hospital, purpose-built two years ago as our largest and most fully equipped location. We sit at the intersection of the 51 and 101, easily accessible from Desert Ridge, Moon Valley, Deer Valley, and Paradise Valley.

Our clients here are upscale, engaged, and expect excellent medicine, and they invest in it. That combination matters: the medicine you want to practice is the medicine your clients want you to practice.

The building is 8,600 square feet with two large surgery suites, a separate contagious-disease area, a special-purpose room, endoscopy on-site, digital radiography, ultrasound, Ligasure, and a Class IV therapy laser. If you’ve been waiting for a well-designed hospital with the room and the equipment to grow the medicine, this is it.

What the role actually looks like
You’ll be both a practicing DVM and the clinical leader of the hospital.

On the practice side, we work hard, take walk-ins, and run a dedicated urgent care service, so the days are full. We’ve built the schedule so full never means rushed medicine.

• Standard appointments are 30 minutes, so you have time to work up the patient properly. The only 15-minute slots are wellness plan members, recovering rechecks, and vaccine updates, because we already know those patients are healthy.
• Aggressive or fractious pets get extended appointments, so you can provide the best care and still educate the client.
• You’ll have 3 techs, with more as you gain experience running a team.
• Every shift includes blocked time for records. We care about you getting out on time.
• Every week includes blocked time for Medical Director duties.
• Around 18 appointments per day on clinical days, with 1–2 surgery days per week based on your preference.

On the leadership side, you set the standard of medicine for the hospital, mentor junior doctors and techs, contribute to protocols across all three ArkVets locations, and partner directly with ownership on how the practice grows. The other two ArkVets hospitals already have medical directors, so you’re joining a peer group, not carrying the whole medical-leadership load alone.

Our default is low-stress, fear-free-inspired care, but we run urgent care too, and we won’t pretend a scared, actively bleeding patient at 4:45 always gets the slow, cookies-first workup. Honesty about the work is part of the culture.

No mandatory on-call. If a shift needs coverage, we ask; we don’t require.

What success looks like in your first year

• By day 60: running a full schedule and surgery days on ArkVets protocols
• By the end of month two: producing above your $190K base
• Client education: 80% acceptance on dental and wellness recommendations
• Client experience: named in 2 five-star reviews per month
• Within 90 days: present your assessment of the hospital’s medical standards and top priorities to ownership
• Within 12 months: lead at least one protocol improvement adopted across all three hospitals

Who fits here
Three things matter to us as a team:

• We Do the Right Thing. We serve with integrity, exceed expectations, and intend to leave our profession better than we found it.
• We Make Magic Happen. We take care of each other. Our energy changes lives, humans and pets both.
• We Have Contagious Curiosity. We seek to grow. We value professional development. We take an active role in making the workplace better.

A medical director here isn’t a title bolted onto a clinical schedule. It’s a partnership with ownership on the future of the practice.

You’ll love it here if you:

• Lead by example on the floor, not from an office
• Solve problems instead of escalating them
• Treat client education as part of the medicine, not an extra
• Give honest feedback, and want it back
• Are curious how a healthy business makes better care possible

This is not for you if you:

• Want a leadership title without carrying a clinical schedule
• Want a slow schedule more than an efficient one
• Would rather see appointments and leave the client experience to someone else
• Prefer a chain’s script to an owner you can actually talk to

Compensation

• Base salary: $190,000, guaranteed floor against production. Classic ProSal, no negative accrual.
• $10,000 medical director stipend on top of base and production
• Vacation does not count against production
• Competitive ProSal percentage based on experience
• Signing bonus based on experience

Benefits

• Two of our highest wellness plans, free, for your own pets, plus 20% off all other treatment and medications
• Medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage for you and eligible dependents
• 4 weeks combined paid time off (120 hours vacation + 40 hours sick), plus paid holidays
• 2 additional paid CE days per year for ArkVets-required continuing education
• Continuing education allowance
• Paid Arizona state veterinary license fees and paid DEA registration
• $500 annual professional membership stipend, toward VIN, AZVMA, AVMA, or any group you want to join
• Scrub allowance
• 401(k)
• Full liability and license defense coverage
• Quarterly doctor training programs and individual mentorship in your chosen growth areas
• Ownership-level involvement in the direction of the practice

Benefits

Please answer three short questions with your resume:

1. How long have you been practicing as a DVM?

2. What's your surgery experience — routine soft tissue, dentistry, more advanced?

3. Where would you like to grow — and what does medical leadership mean to you?

Applications go directly to Kimberly (owner) and Kandi (Director of Operations). You'll hear back from a real person.

Want to talk before you apply, or come tour the hospital? Email us at careers@arkvets.co — we'd love to meet you.

• Arizona veterinary license in good standing prior to start date

• 3+ years of practice experience preferred

• Prior leadership, mentorship, or medical-director experience is a plus

• Availability between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., with some weekends and holidays

• Genuine communication skills and a good attitude