General Manager / Director of Operations

General Manager / Director of Operations

NYC + Hudson Valley | $100,000–$120,000 + Performance Bonus

About Us

We operate three pet care businesses serving New York City and the Hudson Valley, providing dog walking, daycare, boarding, transportation, and overnight care. Our mission is simple: provide exceptional care, be available when pet owners need us, and build a company where both pets and employees thrive.

We're looking for a highly organized, deeply accountable, animal-loving leader to take ownership of day-to-day operations across multiple businesses and help transform them into best-in-class organizations.

This is a hands-on leadership role with significant autonomy and responsibility. You'll oversee teams, improve systems, solve problems, and help drive the future growth of the company.

Who You Are

You are:

• Exceptionally organized and detail-oriented.
• A natural planner and problem solver.
• Highly accountable and dependable.
• Passionate about animals and customer service.
• Comfortable managing hourly employees and building culture.
• Calm under pressure and able to prioritize competing demands.
• Someone who enjoys creating systems and making things better.
• Willing to roll up your sleeves when needed.
• Excited by ownership and responsibility rather than intimidated by it.

You might come from:

• Hospitality
• Hotels
• Veterinary practices
• Multi-unit retail
• Childcare or camp operations
• Fitness studios
• Restaurants
• Healthcare operations
• Transportation or logistics
• Other service businesses with many employees and moving parts

Pet industry experience is helpful but not required.

ResponsibilitiesTeam Leadership

• Manage and support teams across three businesses.
• Oversee employee scheduling and staffing.
• Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop employees.
• Create accountability and maintain standards.
• Address performance issues and foster a strong culture.

Operations

• Ensure smooth day-to-day execution.
• Improve systems and processes.
• Maintain facility standards and cleanliness.
• Coordinate maintenance and vendor relationships.
• Manage inventory and supplies.
• Build and document SOPs.

Pet Care Operations

• Oversee dog walking schedules and client logistics.
• Manage boarding operations and overnight staffing.
• Ensure safe handling and exceptional care for all pets.
• Improve procedures and standards across facilities.
• Respond to emergencies and solve operational challenges.

Customer Experience

• Ensure excellent communication with clients.
• Resolve customer concerns quickly and professionally.
• Maintain a culture centered around trust and care.
• Help retain and grow long-term relationships.

Business Improvement

• Identify inefficiencies and implement solutions.
• Track KPIs and operational performance.
• Assist ownership with strategic initiatives.
• Help prepare the company for future growth.

Requirements

• 5+ years managing people and operations.
• Proven leadership experience.
• Strong communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning abilities.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Comfortable learning and using technology and software.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Valid driver's license.
• Ability to travel between locations.
• Availability for occasional evenings, weekends, and emergencies.

Compensation

• Salary: $100,000–$120,000
• Performance bonus opportunity
• Significant autonomy and responsibility
• Opportunity to shape and grow multiple businesses
• Work with animals every day
• Long-term growth opportunities

This Job Is For You If…

You love making things run better.

You are the person who creates checklists because nobody else has. You naturally notice inefficiencies. You enjoy solving problems before they become emergencies. You take pride in having things organized, documented, and running smoothly.

You genuinely enjoy leading people and helping teams succeed. You understand how to hold people accountable while earning their respect. You know that culture matters and that great businesses are built through great people.

You don't mind jumping from a staffing issue, to a customer concern, to improving a process, to helping a team member solve a problem. You like variety and ownership.

You love animals and understand that behind every dog is a family trusting us with someone they love.

This Job Is NOT For You If…

• You prefer highly structured corporate environments with narrow responsibilities.
• You dislike being accountable for outcomes.
• You are uncomfortable making decisions.
• You need constant direction and supervision.
• You dislike managing people.
• You prefer doing the same thing every day.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year, you'll:

• Build stronger teams and accountability.
• Improve staffing and scheduling.
• Raise operational standards.
• Create systems that reduce chaos and improve consistency.
• Strengthen customer satisfaction.
• Help transform three businesses into highly efficient, scalable operations.

This is not a corporate desk job. We're looking for someone who gets genuine satisfaction from building teams, solving problems, and making things run better every day.

If you're the type of person who color-codes spreadsheets, makes lists for fun, loves animals, and wants the opportunity to own a huge amount of responsibility and make a meaningful impact, we'd love to meet you.

Pay: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Application Question(s):

• 1. Tell us about a time you inherited a messy operation, team, or process. What was wrong, what specific changes did you implement, and what were the results?
• 2. This role requires balancing employee management, customer service, scheduling, facilities, and constant problem solving. What excites you most about this kind of responsibility, and why are you interested in this position specifically?
• 3. Imagine that it's 7:00 AM and you wake up to the following messages:

• Two employees called out.
• A customer is upset because their dog wasn't picked up.
• One of the boarding facilities has no hot water.
• An overnight employee failed to complete their duties.

Walk us through exactly how you would prioritize and handle these situations.

• 4. What is something you are unusually organized about in your personal or professional life that most people would consider excessive?

Work Location: In person