Head Vet

Veteris 24-7 Emergency & Critical Care; Twickenham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Pension

RCVS fees support

VDS cover

Job summary

Veteris 24-7 Emergency & Critical Care in London is seeking a Head Veterinary Surgeon to lead a hospital team while remaining clinically active in emergency and critical care.

The role balances approximately 50% hands-on emergency work with 50% leadership, management, and hospital development, with leadership time protected within the rota. Locations include Shoreditch, Clapham, Twickenham, Temple Fortune; travel between sites may be required.

Qualifications

• Experienced veterinary surgeon with strong small-animal clinical judgement and knowledge of emergency medicine.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and support to the veterinary team.
• Hold regular one-to-ones and support probation, performance, wellbeing and professional development.
• Recruit, onboard and retain veterinary surgeons; assist with workforce planning and rota management.
• Mentor and train team members; uphold clinical standards and hospital processes.
• Lead meetings and coordinate with Directors, Head Nurse, Operations and HR.

Skills

Leadership

Emergency medicine

Critical care

Mentoring

Job description

Locations

Twickenham

Temple Fortune

Veterinary Surgeon

Head Vet

Full time | Shoreditch | Clapham | Twickenham | Temple Fortune | Posted October 08, 2026

Job Description

About Veteris

Veteris is an independent, emergency-only veterinary group providing 24/7 care across London.

Our service combines four emergency hospitals, a mobile emergency team and an RVN-led remote triage centre. We are continuing to grow and are now recruiting a Head Veterinary Surgeon for each of our London hospitals.

This is an opportunity for an experienced veterinary surgeon to remain clinically involved while taking genuine ownership of the development, support and day-to-day leadership of a hospital team.

The Role

As Head Vet, you will be the local veterinary lead for your hospital.

You will work closely with the Directors, Clinical Directors, Head Nurse, Operations and HR teams to support your colleagues, maintain high clinical and operational standards, and help your hospital continue to develop.

This is not a full clinical rota with management responsibilities added on top.

The role has been designed to provide a meaningful balance between hands-on emergency work and protected leadership time. Across the rota cycle, the position will be approximately 50% clinical and 50% leadership, management and hospital development.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Providing day-to-day leadership and support to the veterinary team
• Holding regular one-to-ones and supporting probation, performance, wellbeing and professional development
• Participating in the recruitment, onboarding and retention of veterinary surgeons
• Contributing to nursing recruitment and hospital workforce planning alongside the Head Nurse and Operations team
• Helping to plan veterinary rotas and ensuring appropriate clinical coverage
• Identifying training and mentoring needs within the team
• Supporting the implementation of Veteris clinical standards, protocols and ways of working
• Following up on local clinical and operational improvements
• Participating in veterinary, nursing and whole-hospital team meetings
• Maintaining clear communication between the hospital team and the wider Veteris leadership structure
• Supporting effective patient flow and the hospital’s ability to respond to periods of high emergency activity
• Providing first-line leadership support during allocated on-call periods, with senior Clinical Director escalation available

The Head Vet will work in partnership with the Head Nurse. The Head Nurse will retain responsibility for nursing line management, while both roles will work closely together on hospital standards, recruitment, training and team development

Clinical Commitment

We want our Head Vets to remain visible, clinically credible members of their teams.

The anticipated clinical commitment is an average of approximately two clinical shifts per non-on-call week, with a minimum of 18 planned clinical shifts over a 12-week rota cycle (18 shifts in 84 days minimum).

Clinical Work May Include

• Emergency peak shifts
• Weekend shifts
• Day-shift cover
• Working alongside less experienced colleagues
• Clinical mentoring and practical training
• Additional support during periods of increased hospital activity

Additional clinical work may be available for candidates who would like to work beyond their core commitment.

Protected Leadership Time

Leadership and management time will be planned and protected within the rota.

This Time Will Be Used For

• One-to-ones and team follow-up
• Recruitment and interviews
• Rota planning
• Training and mentoring
• Meetings
• Probation and performance management
• Hospital projects and service improvements
• Review of local standards, processes and team needs

You will not be expected to complete these responsibilities in your personal time or between emergency consultations.

Leadership and administrative time will normally be hospital-based, allowing the Head Vet to remain present and accessible to their team.

On-Call Responsibilities

The role includes participation in an approximately one-in-four leadership on-call rota across the Veteris hospital network.

During an on-call week, the Head Vet would not normally be scheduled for routine clinical shifts. The week would instead combine protected management responsibilities with availability to support the hospitals and attend in person when required.

A Clinical Director will remain available for senior clinical, organisational or executive escalation.

The detailed on-call arrangements, geographical expectations and escalation process will be discussed clearly during the recruitment process.

Desired Skills

About You

You will be an experienced veterinary surgeon with strong small-animal clinical judgement and knowledge of emergency medicine, emergency medicine and a genuine interest in developing people.

Previous formal leadership experience would be beneficial, but we are also interested in experienced senior clinicians who are ready to take their first significant step into management.

You Should Be

• Confident managing emergency and critical-care presentations
• Calm and effective when making decisions under pressure
• Interested in mentoring, training and supporting colleagues
• Comfortable giving clear, constructive feedback
• Organised and able to manage competing priorities
• Willing to take ownership of problems and follow them through
• Able to manage sensitive team matters professionally
• Committed to high standards of patient care and client communication
• Comfortable working collaboratively with veterinary, nursing, operational and HR colleagues
• Willing to contribute to weekend and peak-period clinical coverage
• Able to travel between Veteris hospitals when required during on-call periods

A postgraduate certificate or additional ECC qualification would be welcomed but is not essential.

What We Offer

• A senior leadership position within an independent and growing veterinary group
• Genuine protected management and administrative time
• A defined clinical commitment rather than a full clinical rota plus management
• The opportunity to shape the culture and development of your own hospital
• Support from experienced Clinical Directors, Head Nurses, Operations and HR
• Varied emergency and critical-care caseload
• Modern 24/7 hospital facilities
• CPD allowance and support for continued professional development
• Leadership development opportunities
• VDS cover
• Support with RCVS fees
• Workplace pension
• Staff benefits for your own pets
• Health Insurance
• Opportunities for future progression as Veteris continues to grow

Locations

We Are Recruiting Head Vets For

• Shoreditch
• Clapham
• Twickenham
• Temple Fortune

Applicants may express an interest in one or more hospitals.

Pay

£60,000.00-£75,000.00 per year

Benefits

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Employee mentoring programme
• Private medical insurance
• UK visa sponsorship