Medical Director/Lead Veterinarian

About the Role

Truss Vet is seeking a Medical Director for our Columbia, South Carolina urgent care clinic. This is a full-time working clinical leadership role where you'll serve as the key clinical decision-maker, mentor to associate veterinarians, and cultural leader of the clinic. You'll partner with your Practice Manager to run the clinic, owning the medicine while they own operations and the support team.

What You'll Actually Own

• The medicine in your clinic: Setting and maintaining the standard of care through case review, medical quality, protocols, and judgment calls
• Your doctors' success: Mentorship, coaching, and development for every associate on your team through regular one-on-ones and honest feedback
• Building your doctor team: Owning associate veterinarian hiring for your clinic—meeting candidates, communicating the opportunity, and making the call
• The leadership partnership: Collaborating with your Practice Manager to run the clinic together, with joint accountability for the whole operation
• The culture: Setting the tone for how people treat each other, especially during busy times
• Still being a doctor: A working clinical role where you practice and carry cases, maintaining credibility with your team

Protected Leadership Time

• Roughly four hours per week of protected non-clinical time
• Plus twelve hours per month at your discretion for mentorship, hiring, case review, and other leadership responsibilities

Support Structure

• A Practice Manager partner—you're not running the building by yourself
• A network of Medical Directors at our other clinics for peer support
• Medical and operational leadership built and supported by working veterinarians
• Real support for the leadership part—coaching and development for you

Career Growth

• Deepen your clinical leadership with mentorship, CE, and case complexity
• Path to company-wide medical roles built from clinic leadership experience
• Growing organization with new opportunities as we expand
• No forced timeline or "up or out" structure

You're a Great Fit If You

• Are a strong clinician first—your team's respect starts with your medicine
• Have had people follow you before, formally or informally
• Can hold a high standard and a warm relationship simultaneously
• Will have the uncomfortable conversation while it's still small
• Get genuine satisfaction from someone else's growth
• Are proactive, detail-oriented, timely, organized, productive, analytical, and still a people person
• Have a growth mindset and never stop learning
• Want to work for a company with a big vision and ambitious growth plans
• Want to make a difference and change the future of animal healthcare
• Love working in teams and can relate to people of all types
• Are willing to "get your hands dirty"—entrepreneurial and a servant leader
• Provide energy to the people around you as a happy, positive, optimistic person
• Are licensed or eligible for veterinary licensure in South Carolina
• Have 5+ years of in-practice experience (ER or urgent care experience preferred but not required)
• Have prior leadership or mentorship experience as a plus; a track record of people wanting to work with you matters more than a title
• Read our values and they overlap with your personal values

About Truss Vet Columbia

Columbia opened in March 2026 as our first clinic outside North Carolina. At 4,520 square feet, it's the largest clinic we've built—a former fitness space converted into a bright, modern urgent care with room to work in.

Clinic Environment

Every Truss Vet clinic is outfitted with industry-leading equipment including full in-house IDEXX diagnostics (CBC/chemistry, automated fecal/UA, digital cytology, on-site enzyme analysis), digital radiography, ultrasound, and fully cloud-based, mobile-friendly technology. All within a Fear Free-informed space with dedicated feline exam rooms, comfort rooms, and a modern aesthetic reflective of today's best healthcare environments.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary with no negative accrual
• A management bonus shared with your Practice Manager, tied to clinic growth and success
• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage, life insurance
• 3 weeks PTO plus 5 holidays for full-time doctors
• A generous CE stipend with guaranteed coverage for 1 major conference per year
• Parental leave
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) with a 2.5% employer match
• Payment of all professional dues, licenses, association memberships, VIN, and PLIT
• Commitment to professional and personal development through mentorship
• Pet care discounts and uniform allowance
• No boarding, grooming, or on-call

Our Values

• Dare to Care: Doing what is right even when it isn't easy—approaching situations with courage, empathy, and authenticity
• The Details Matter: Our standards are reflected in every detail, and those details matter to client and pet experience
• Truss One Another: Being accountable to the success of the team and each other—having teammates' backs, catching mistakes, and challenging each other to improve
• Bowl Half Full: Seeing the good in others, seeing opportunities in challenges, meeting discomfort with good humor, and finding ways forward

Schedule

• 3-day workweeks
• Going home on time