Team Manager

Walden Pet Services • Full-time • Concord, Massachusetts 01742, United States • $50k - $60k / year • 2m ago

Walden Pet Services has provided professional pet care throughout Concord, Carlisle, Maynard, Acton, and Lincoln since 1998.

We’re hiring a Team Manager to take primary responsibility for managing, coaching, developing, and shaping the culture of our team.

This is first and foremost a people-management role. You’ll work closely with our Team Leads and field staff to set clear expectations, address performance concerns, coach employees, develop emerging leaders, and help build and maintain a strong, connected, accountable team.

You’ll also own our hiring and training functions, including recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, new-hire development, and oversight of Staff Trainers.

Our other managers are heavily involved in day-to-day operations. We’re specifically looking for someone whose strength is people — someone who genuinely enjoys managing employees, developing leaders, strengthening team culture, having difficult conversations when necessary, and helping a team perform at a high level.

Key Responsibilities

Team Management, Culture & Development

Directly supervise, coach, and develop employees and Team Leads
Hold regular one-on-ones and provide ongoing feedback and guidance
Serve as the primary management resource for employee performance, communication, accountability, and development
Support Team Leads and Managers in handling employee questions, performance concerns, communication challenges, and difficult situations
Ensure performance issues are addressed promptly, consistently, and followed through to resolution
Coach employees when expectations are not being met and determine when additional training or formal performance management is necessary
Recognize strong performance and identify employees ready for additional responsibility
Maintain consistent application of company policies and performance expectations
Build, strengthen, and maintain a professional, supportive, and accountable team culture
Reinforce company values and expectations through day-to-day management and communication
Help create a sense of connection and belonging across a team that spends much of its workday independently in the field
Identify changes in morale, communication, or team dynamics and address concerns before they become larger issues
Recognize and reinforce behaviors that contribute positively to the team and company culture

Hiring & Training

Own recruiting, applicant screening, interviews, reference checks, offers, onboarding, and orientation
Evaluate candidates for reliability, judgment, communication, professionalism, and alignment with company standards and culture
Oversee Staff Trainers and ensure new employees receive consistent, structured training
Monitor new-hire progress and support employees throughout their first 90 days
Identify when additional coaching or training is needed
Maintain and improve training materials, SOPs, manuals, and checklists
Coordinate ongoing staff training and development
Monitor staffing needs, hiring progress, time-to-hire, and new-hire retention
Help ensure new hires understand not only how to perform the work, but also the standards and culture expected of Walden team members

Operational Support

Provide management support when employee, staffing, or service issues are escalated
Work with the Owner and other managers to identify recurring team issues and improve the systems behind them
Maintain an understanding of daily field operations in order to make effective management decisions
Occasionally assist with field coverage during emergencies or unusual staffing situations

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys managing and developing people.

You should be comfortable giving both positive and difficult feedback, setting expectations, making judgment calls, and addressing problems directly. You should be able to understand an employee’s perspective while still maintaining accountability and company standards.

You should also understand that strong team culture is built intentionally — through clear communication, consistent leadership, recognition, accountability, and the everyday experience employees have working here.

Strong candidates will have:

Previous experience managing employees or teams
Strong coaching and employee-development skills
Experience addressing performance concerns and giving constructive feedback
Experience hiring, onboarding, and training employees
Strong judgment and problem-solving skills
Excellent written and verbal communication
Strong organization and follow-through
Confidence handling difficult or sensitive employee conversations
The ability to balance empathy with accountability
Experience developing Team Leads, supervisors, or other emerging managers
The ability to recognize and respond to team morale, communication, and culture issues
The ability to work independently while collaborating closely with other members of leadership

Experience in a service-based, field-service, hospitality, retail, healthcare, or similarly people-intensive business is welcome.

Pet-care experience is helpful but not required.

Candidates must be comfortable working around dogs and other household pets and must have a valid driver’s license and consistent access to a safe, insured, reliable vehicle.

Schedule & Work Location

This position is expected to average approximately 30–35 hours per week.

Typical hours are generally Monday through Friday during the daytime, approximately 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, depending on the needs of the week.

Occasional evening availability may be required for employee training, coaching, meetings, or other leadership needs.

This is a primarily in-person position based in Concord, Massachusetts. Remote work is not a regular component of the position and must be approved by the Owner on a case-by-case basis.

The position is not intended to regularly exceed 35 hours per week.