Clinical Director

MARS Veterinary; Milnthorpe; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kentdale Referrals, part of Mars Veterinary Health, is seeking a Veterinary Clinical Director to lead the vet team at its Milnthorpe hospital in the Lake District. The role combines senior clinical leadership with hands-on clinical duties, mentorship, and development of high-quality patient care.

You will shape clinical strategy, governance and performance across services such as orthopaedics, neurosurgery and soft tissue, while driving operational efficiency and client service excellence.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in a medium-large veterinary team.
• Strong governance, risk management and audit skills.
• Proven ability to develop clinical strategy and drive performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the vet team to deliver high-quality clinical care and outcomes.
• Develop a clear strategic vision and operational clarity for the hospital.
• Oversee governance, audits, CPD, and accreditation activities.

Skills

Leadership

Governance

Quality improvement

Strategic planning

Mentoring

People management

Education

Veterinary Specialist in Surgery/Neurology/Anesthesia

Job description

We are delighted to welcome applications for a Clinical Director at Kentdale Referrals. This vital leadership role will be part of the hospitals senior leadership team (SLT) working closely with the Hospital Director (HD) and leading the vet team.This is a fantastic opportunity for a Veterinary Specialist in Surgery, Neurology or Anaesthesia who has a passion for mentoring, leadership and further development at a senior level whilst still having an opportunity to continue with some clinical dutiesFurther details regarding the role are as follows:Main Purpose and GoalsLeadershipLead the vet team in the delivery of all aspects of clinical quality, operational efficiency, development of the hospital team, customer service and commercial performance.Provide a clear strategic vision and operational clarity.Create a high performing culture that is challenging, supportive and collaborative whilst developing leadership and clinical capabilities across all associates.Clinical Delivery, Quality and GovernanceDesign and implement lean, simple and customer-centred systems and processes that deliver high quality clinical care.Create a culture of high-quality care, quality outcomes and customer service.Ensure effective governance and assurance controls are in place to enhance quality & outcomes including the use of risk assessments and audit, learning and development, and technical and service development.Carry out clinical duties as a veterinary Specialist.Future Strategy & GrowthContribute to the delivery of annual/long term performance reviews and future strategic / operating plans for the hospital.Identify and implement innovative ideas that lead to the development of the hospital and the wider Linnaeus Group.KEY RESPONSIBILITIESLeadershipDevelop and deliver a shared vision to members of the clinical team, engaging and inspiring the team to contribute to the development of clinical activities within the hospital.Effectively lead change across vet team through ensuring a collaborative approach with associates and ensuring that the reasons for change are effectively communicated, understood, owned and implemented.Focusing on the veterinary team, build a high performing team through the attraction and retention of highly skilled and capable clinical associates.Create a high performance culture through effective communication by demonstrating an awareness of different communication styles and behaviours and responding to these.Previous leadership and line management experience of a medium-large team of vets.Clinical Delivery, Quality and GovernanceCreate the local clinical strategy ensuring that all members of the clinical team are involved and that proposed initiatives and programmes enhance quality and service outcomes.Deliver the highest quality clinical care and outcomes with focus on:Safety: avoiding harm to patients from care that is intended to help themTimely: avoiding unnecessary delays to care that may cause harmEffective: Providing evidence based servicesEfficient: Avoiding waste, minimising duplication, optimising productivityPerson centred: establishing connections with clients and referring vets to deliver high quality careCreate and implement quality improvement activities including audit, risk assessment and clinical governance processes, benchmarking with other referral practices and responding to learning opportunities.Create a culture of professional development including effective CPD, student placements, residency and internship programmes and clinical research, ensuring compliance with RCVS requirements.Ensure compliance with all statutory, legal and regulatory areas relating to clinical practice including, for example, RCVS, GDPR, Health and Safety etc.Input to Linnaeus wide accreditation standards e.g. RCVS PSS and ISFM Cat Friendly Clinics and other national projects and initiatives.Carry out clinical duties as a veterinary Specialist.Commercial performanceBe accountable for delivering veterinary clinical quality, efficiency and productivity, business growth, people metrics, associate engagement and customer experienceAs a member of the SLT be accountable for the development and delivery of the annual budget and financial targets including sales, staffing, stock, consumables, capital expenditure, pricing, cost control and debt managementCreate a culture and be a role model for building positive empathetic relationships with clients, offering excellent levels of service with clear communication including obtaining appropriate consents, having fee estimates in place, providing clear treatment recommendations and effective complaint oversight and management.Create a culture and be a role model across the clinical teams for building effective support relationships with referring vets, including clear communication, outcome correspondence, competitive CPD programmes, advice / service support, and issue resolution.Future Strategy and GrowthUse metrics and market intelligence to identify the hospital’s current clinical positioning, its strengths, risks and opportunities to create a future change plan for improvement and growth across the performance metrics.Work with the Head of Nursing Services and veterinary service heads to define an achievable clinical strategy that aims to deliver the best veterinary care and provide additional products and services.Identify unique services and lines where market opportunities exist and work with the HD and SLT to create business cases for growth and investment.Create a culture where the clinical team work collaboratively with the marketing team and BRM to effectively understand the customer needs and enhance their experience.Ensure that the clinical, and marketing agendas enhance brand awareness and perception, and support business growth through effective vet relationships, enhanced clinical services, CPD programmes and website support.Contribute to product, service and growth opportunities within the wider Linnaeus group and Mars Veterinary Health.About UsAs one of the leading small animal referral centres in the UK, we have been delivering excellence in pet healthcare for over 10 years. We have a new hospital opening later in the year and this role will play a key part in setting this up for success.Currently located on the edge of the beautiful Lake District in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, Kentdale is a specialist-led referral centre treating a wide range of surgical patients in our veterinary hospital. Our service teams include Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, Soft Tissue Surgery and Physiotherapy. The new hospital will be based on the outskirts of Carnforth at J35 M6.If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with Sian Emery (Talent Acquisition Partner) [e-mail]