About this role
We’re looking for an organised, proactive and people-focused Veterinary Administration Team Leader to oversee our central administrative processes across three key areas: Debt and Insurance, Referral and Inpatient Management, and Health plan.
You will line manage four colleagues based across Bolton, Barnsley, Teesside and Shrewsbury, providing clear direction, coaching and support while ensuring consistent processes and high standards across our hospitals.
Alongside your leadership responsibilities, you will retain a hands-on role in delivering administrative work, including responsibility for inpatient charging at our Warrington hospital and an assigned caseload across the wider group.
Based at our Warrington Hospital, you will take overall responsibility for the team’s performance against agreed KPIs, identifying opportunities to improve processes, strengthen financial controls and release valuable time for our hospital teams to focus on patient care.
How you will lead the team
• Lead and manage four colleagues across Bolton, Barnsley, Teesside and Shrewsbury, providing regular support, feedback, coaching and performance management.
• Recruit, induct and develop team members, supporting cross-training across all three administrative areas to build flexibility and resilience.
• Set group-wide priorities and working procedures through Central Operations, ensuring the team focuses on agreed responsibilities and is protected from unrelated administrative requests.
• Allocate and monitor shared workloads, review demand and coordinate cover to maintain service continuity across hospital locations.
• Take overall accountability for the team's KPIs, monitoring performance, identifying trends and implementing improvement plans where needed.
• Maintain consistent working practices, approved communication templates, quality checks and clear escalation routes across the team.
• Work collaboratively with hospital teams and Central Operations to coordinate inpatient charging, referral administration, debt management and Health plan processes.
• Identify capacity pressures, service risks and training needs, escalating issues requiring senior decisions or additional support.
• Report on team performance, debt and insurance outcomes, administrative accuracy and service improvements, demonstrating the impact on hospital workload and efficiency.
1. Debt and Insurance
• Manage an assigned caseload of customer and insurance debt across the group, maintaining accurate notes, next actions and follow-up dates.
• Contact clients professionally and sensitively regarding overdue balances and insurance shortfalls.
• Liaise with insurance providers to resolve routine claims, invoice and payment queries, obtaining missing documentation from the relevant colleagues.
• Allocate insurer BACS receipts, investigate unapplied cash and support receivables reconciliation.
• Maintain accurate records and tagging, ensuring balances are routed through the correct processes.
• Administer authorised payment plans and prepare debt collection referrals in line with policy.
• Escalate disputes, financial exceptions and proposed write-offs to the appropriate authorised decision-maker.
2. Referral and Inpatient Management
• Coordinate incoming and outgoing referrals across the group following clinical decisions, ensuring documentation is complete and bookings are confirmed.
• Check inpatient charges daily at Warrington against clinical records and approved tariffs, ensuring treatments, procedures, medication, consumables and accommodation are accurately recorded.
• Work with vets and nurses to investigate missing, duplicate or unbilled charges and resolve administrative discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate clinician-approved estimates and running balances, escalating discrepancies that require further approval.
• Review discharge bills for completeness and coordinate payment and insurance handovers.
• Track outstanding referral reports and bookings, following up delays and ensuring clear administrative handovers.
• Direct clinical questions to the responsible veterinary professional and raise charging gaps or administrative concerns promptly.
3. Health plan
• Oversee and support Health plan administration across the group, including enrolments, membership changes and routine client queries.
• Maintain accurate membership and contact records, checking status and entitlements against approved plan terms.
• Liaise with plan providers and colleagues to resolve routine queries and discrepancies.
• Monitor failed payments, cancellations and renewals, ensuring appropriate follow-up in line with agreed procedures.
• Support clients with plan-related appointment arrangements and maintain accurate records of outstanding queries.
• Escalate refunds, disputed charges and exceptional requests for authorised approval.
• Identify recurring issues and recommend improvements to the consistency and efficiency of Health plan administration.
What you will bring
• Experience in busy administration, customer service, finance administration or veterinary practice support, with the ability to manage a varied caseload.
• Previous experience supervising, coordinating or line managing colleagues, with the confidence to coach others and address performance concerns constructively.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance your own workload with team leadership and competing priorities.
• Experience monitoring KPIs, reviewing performance data and taking action to improve results.
• Excellent attention to detail and confidence using administrative systems, spreadsheets and reporting tools.
• Clear, professional communication skills, including the ability to handle sensitive financial conversations with empathy.
• A collaborative approach, working effectively with colleagues across different hospital locations and with Central Operations.
• The ability to identify risks, resolve routine issues and recognise when clinical, financial or operational decisions need escalation.
• A commitment to confidentiality and the appropriate handling of personal and financial information.
Role Detail: Rota: 40hrs Monday - Friday
Annual Leave: 5.6 weeks (including Bank Holidays
Benefits:
Staff Discount
Up to 52 weeks sickness available
Employee assistance programme
4% pension contribution
Store Discount through PerkBox
and more ...
Up to £31,750 DOE