Referral Relationship Manager – Veterinary Medicine

The Referral Relationship Manager (RRM) plays a vital role in strengthening partnerships with referring veterinary practices and driving hospital growth through strategic outreach, marketing, and relationship management. This role serves as the primary liaison between the hospital and the referring community while also owning the planning and execution of referring DVM and client engagement events and the management of all community partnerships.

Working collaboratively with hospital leadership, marketing partners, and cross-functional teams, the Referral Relationship Manager uses data, insights, and relationship-building to improve referral performance, optimize the referral experience, and support business growth. This position requires a balance of field engagement, strategic planning, event planning and execution, and administrative coordination in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment.

This role is well-suited for someone who is mission-driven, relationship-focused, and motivated to make a meaningful impact on client/patient access to specialty and emergency veterinary care. The RRM role has a dual reporting structure, reporting functionally to the centralized Referral Relations Group Manager and operationally to the local Hospital Director.

This position supports VSH Sorrento Valley in San Diego, California, serving as the primary relationship manager for referring veterinary practices throughout the greater San Diego market.

The position operates in a hybrid structure of 3.5 days in the field and 1.5 days dedicated to administrative, planning, and marketing coordination work, ensuring both strong market presence and thoughtful execution.

This role is exempt. The compensation range is between $80,000 - $85,000 annual salary. 

Responsibilities

Referral Growth & Relationship Management

• Develop and execute referral outreach and engagement strategies aligned to hospital performance goals and market opportunities.
• Maintain a consistent, structured engagement cadence with referring veterinarians through in-person visits, phone calls, email communications, and events.
• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with referring doctors, practice managers, and key decision-makers.
• Customize engagement approaches based on the unique needs, preferences, and referral potential of each referring practice.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the referring community and ensure timely, professional, and effective communication.

Event Planning & Community Engagement

• Own the end-to-end planning and execution of continuing education (CE) programs, symposiums, open houses, and referring practice recognition events.
• Track attendance, referral impact, and ROI for all events and initiatives.
• Manage community partnerships and outreach activities, including relationships with shelters, emergency responders, and community organizations.

Marketing Strategy & Execution

• Leverage centralized Ethos marketing resources and programs to support local growth priorities.
• Plan and execute strategic campaigns to launch new services, promote new clinicians, and increase awareness of hospital capabilities.
• Serve as the local hospital point of contact for all marketing and referral engagement activities.
• Partner with the regional Marketing Business Partner and centralized marketing subject matter experts to activate enterprise-wide growth initiatives.

Data, Analytics & Business Planning

• Actively utilize CRM systems, referral dashboards, and analytics tools to track performance, monitor trends, and inform engagement strategies.
• Develop, maintain, and execute a quarterly Joint Business Plan (JBP) outlining local growth objectives, strategies, and activities.
• Analyze local competitive landscapes to anticipate threats, identify opportunities, and inform strategic decision-making.
• Maintain deep knowledge of hospital services, specialties, differentiators, and competitive positioning.

Referral Process Optimization

• Monitor and evaluate the hospital's referral experience and workflows to identify gaps, resolve issues, and inform service delivery optimization.
• Partner with internal hospital leadership teams to address referring veterinarian concerns and enhance the overall referral experience.

Administrative & Operational Responsibilities

• Manage the hospital's referral engagement and marketing budget and track spending against plan.
• Maintain accurate documentation, activity tracking, and reporting as required.
• Support hospital leadership and the Ethos growth team in additional initiatives as assigned.

Responsibility Allocation

• In-Market Referral Engagement Activities – 65%
• Event Planning and Execution – 15%
• Collaboration with Centralized Marketing Resources – 10%
• Administrative & Reporting Responsibilities – 10%

Qualities of a successful candidate

• Mission-Driven: Motivated by Ethos' mission to improve the lives of pets and people through exceptional veterinary care.
• Grit & Resilience: Brings determination, persistence, and professionalism to a demanding, fast-paced environment.
• High Standards: Demonstrates strong accountability, integrity, and pride in delivering high-quality work.
• Curiosity: Actively seeks knowledge, feedback, and innovative approaches to improve outcomes.
• Self-Starter: Works independently, takes initiative, and drives results with minimal supervision.
• Relationship-Oriented: Builds trust, communicates effectively, and maintains strong professional relationships.
• Coachability & Growth Mindset: Open to feedback, adaptable, and committed to continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Valid driver's license and clean driving record.
• Valid auto insurance coverage.
• Reliable personal transportation and ability to accurately track and submit mileage for reimbursement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to support hospital and community events.

Required qualifications and experience

• Associate or bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent education and experience will be considered.
• 3-5 years of professional experience demonstrating the ability to manage multiple priorities, build relationships, communicate effectively, and drive business growth.
• Experience in sales, customer service, account management, marketing, or business development roles strongly preferred.
• Veterinary medicine or animal health industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills across in-person, phone, email, and virtual platforms.
• High level of organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Proficiency with technology, CRM systems, and performance reporting tools.
• Ability to interpret basic performance metrics and use data to inform strategy and decision-making.

Work environment and expectations

• Field-based role requiring frequent local travel to referring practices.
• Fast-paced, relationship-driven environment requiring flexibility and adaptability.
• Collaboration across hospital leadership as well as enterprise referral relations, marketing, and operations teams.

Benefits

Ethos Veterinary Health offers a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, a 401(k) with employer match, and paid time off (including sick time) for all eligible employees. The team can provide more information about compensation and benefits for your specific location during the hiring process.

Ethos Veterinary Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.