Join our team

In partnership with the Director General (DG), the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for leading the organisation’s overall change and development agenda. Taking corporate responsibility for the leadership, development and delivery of PDSA’s overarching strategy through leading the delivery of high-quality operational services, ensuring efficiencies and driving income in line with a developing One PDSA culture. 

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for considering the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at PDSA as the next exciting step in your career. This is not just a job opportunity; it’s a chance to have a profound impact on the lives of people and pets across the UK.

At PDSA, we are here to support the relief of poverty by keeping people and their pets together when owners can’t afford the full cost of their veterinary care. With 49 PDSA Pet Hospitals delivering over 2.7 million veterinary treatments annually, no other charity matches our scale or has the same impact on people and their pets at their time of need.

Our renowned PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report underscores our national presence and expertise, showcasing the significant difference we make daily. Yet, in our founder’s words, there is still so much we can do, should do, must do. Our ambition is to be present in every community where we are needed.

PDSA operates without any Government funding, relying solely on the generosity of public donations, legacies, and our retail and trading operations to cover our £80 million annual service cost. Our focus needs to be on being efficient and effective in all areas of our organisation so that we can maximise the donor’s pound.

As COO, you will not only lead a newly structured directorate bringing our veterinary services and retail operations into one function, but you will also be a key player in our Executive Leadership Team, serving as the primary deputy to the Director General. You will have a pivotal role in fulfilling our strategic promises, driving cross-organisational objectives, and steering our exciting organisational change programme to achieve sustainable high-quality service delivery.

We seek a seasoned strategic leader with exceptional interpersonal skills and a transparent, accountable, and adaptable approach who will champion the experiences of our colleagues and volunteers. You will be an experienced executive team member of a similarly large (greater than £50m turnover) and complex, multi-site organisation, and bring a demonstrable track record of successfully leading and implementing change programmes across all functions. Whether from the commercial or non-profit sectors; you will have a commercial outlook, and the drive to deliver sustainable, high-quality services across the organisation. You will have had significant budgetary responsibility and be experienced in delivering both cultural and strategic change. You must bring a strong personal motivation to make a key contribution to PDSA’s work, empathy with those we support, and a desire to work in partnership with PDSA’s executive team and colleagues across the organisation.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and leadership team and actively work to increase diversity across all levels of our charity. We welcome applications from individuals of various backgrounds and experiences. If this role inspires you and you are eager to make a real difference, we look forward to hearing from you.

Wishing you all the best in your application.

Warm regards

Jan McLoughlin BSc (Hons) MSc CBiol MSB FIoD

Jan McLoughlin
PDSA Director General