Lead Veterinary Nurse

Linnaeus Veterinary Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks’ annual leave

Birthday off

No overnight shifts

RCVS & VDS fees paid

CPD funding & CPD leave

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Maven Veterinary Care is seeking a Lead Veterinary Nurse (RVN) to guide our nursing team and shape nursing services at our North Cheam, Surrey hospital. You’ll balance clinical work with leadership responsibilities, mentoring colleagues and developing your own leadership capabilities.

We welcome RVNs aiming to progress into leadership, offering a varied caseload, CPD opportunities, and a forward‑looking hospital environment where your clinical skills continue to shine while you help others grow.

Qualifications

• RCVS registration and two years UK veterinary experience are desirable.
• Strong mentoring, supporting and developing colleagues.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a nursing team of eight, developing confidence and clinical skills.
• Maintain hands-on nursing while progressing leadership responsibilities.
• Provide protected time for leadership and senior administrative tasks.

Skills

Strong clinical skills

Mentoring

Excellent communication

Imaging interest

Education

RCVS registration

Tools

Ultrasound

X-ray imaging

Endoscopy

Job description

Lead Veterinary Nurse (RVN)

More clinical influence. More career progression. More opportunity to shape the future of veterinary nursing. Are you an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) looking for your next career move? Perhaps you're already a Lead Veterinary Nurse looking for a new challenge, or you're ready to take your first step into veterinary nursing leadership. At Maven Veterinary Care, we're looking for a passionate and motivated Lead Veterinary Nurse to help lead our nursing team of eight at our established, award-winning small animal hospital in North Cheam, Surrey. This is an opportunity to do more than manage a team. You'll have the chance to influence how nursing services develop, support colleagues in advancing their clinical skills and play a meaningful role in shaping the future of our hospital. And importantly, you won't have to step away from the clinical work you enjoy to progress your career. You don't need previous Lead Nurse experience. If you have strong clinical skills, enjoy helping others develop and are ready to take on more responsibility, we'd love to hear from you.

Why join Maven Veterinary Care?

Shape the future of nursing at Maven Your ideas and clinical experience will matter here. You'll have the opportunity to help develop our nursing services, improve day-to-day hospital efficiencies and enhance inpatient care. Whether you're passionate about Schedule 3 procedures, hospital medicine, imaging or finding better ways of working, you'll have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to how our services evolve.

Take your next step into veterinary nursing leadership

You'll lead and support a team of eight, helping colleagues develop their confidence, knowledge and clinical skills. This is an opportunity to build your leadership experience through mentoring, line management, knowledge sharing and supporting the professional development of your colleagues. You don't need to have held a leadership title before. We're looking for someone with the clinical credibility, enthusiasm and ambition to help others succeed.

Stay hands-on with a varied and interesting clinical caseload

We know that progressing into leadership doesn't mean you want to give up nursing. You'll continue enjoying a varied caseload across general practice, hospital and emergency work, with opportunities to rotate through: Hospital and inpatient nursing, Surgical nursing, Nurse consultations, Flex shifts, offering variety across different areas of the hospital. With shifts rotating between 7:30am and 8pm, you'll have the opportunity to maintain and develop a broad range of clinical nursing skills while building your leadership experience.

Dedicated time to focus on leadership

We recognise that leading a team takes time. That's why you'll benefit from protected leadership and senior administrative time within your rota, separate from your clinical responsibilities. This gives you dedicated time to support your team, develop nursing services and contribute to improvements across the hospital.

Work alongside experienced clinical leaders

You'll work closely with our Lead Veterinary Surgeon, taking responsibility for the day-to-day running of the hospital and supporting each other in your leadership roles. You'll also be part of a collaborative veterinary team with a range of experience and clinical interests, including two medicine certificate holders. With colleagues keen to develop further in medicine and imaging, you'll have the opportunity to support their clinical progression while developing your own knowledge and expertise.

Develop your career with ongoing learning and funded CPD

• An annual CPD allowance and three days of CPD leave
• Funded external CPD opportunities
• Access to extensive free internal and online Linnaeus CPD
• Support to develop your individual clinical interests
• Opportunities to pursue further qualifications, with funding available alongside a training agreement
• Career progression and professional development opportunities

Make the most of excellent hospital facilities

You’ll work in a well-equipped small animal hospital where you can put your nursing skills to good use. Our facilities include:

• Two large operating theatres
• Dedicated ultrasound facilities
• X-ray and diagnostic imaging equipment
• Endoscopy equipment
• Dedicated dentistry facilities
• Separate dog and cat waiting areas and wards
• On-site inpatient facilities
• Daily inpatient rounds and collaborative case discussions create opportunities to share knowledge, develop confidence and deliver consistent, high-quality patient care.

Be part of an award-winning veterinary hospital

At Maven, you'll join a team that takes pride in delivering excellent patient and client care.

We’ve achieved five Outstanding RCVS Practice Standards Awards across: Consults, Inpatients, Clients, Team, Environment. We’re also proud to be a Gold Standard Cat Friendly Clinic, Dog Friendly practice and RWAF Silver Standard practice. Our Silver Investors in the Environment (iiE) Accreditation also recognises our commitment to environmental responsibility.

A working week that offers clinical variety and leadership opportunities

Your rota will give you exposure to different areas of veterinary nursing, alongside dedicated time for your leadership responsibilities. Working arrangements: Rotating shifts between 7:30am and 8pm. Clinical rotations across hospital/inpatients, surgery, consultations and flex shifts. Protected leadership and senior administrative time. Currently 1 in 5 Saturdays, 8am–4pm. Sunday opening planned for 2027, with six-hour Sunday shifts. Weekend commitments expected to reduce as the veterinary team grows. No overnight or out-of-hours (OOH) commitment for the daytime veterinary team. Vets Now provides our on-site OOH service. Days off in lieu following weekend shifts. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy the variety of hospital nursing without an overnight or out-of-hours commitment.

About Maven Veterinary Care

Maven Veterinary Care is an established small animal hospital in North Cheam, Surrey, with a collaborative veterinary team, excellent clinical facilities and a shared commitment to delivering high standards of patient care. We’re proud of what we’ve already achieved, but we’re just as excited about what comes next. As our Lead Veterinary Nurse, you’ll have an opportunity to influence that next chapter. You’ll play a key role in supporting the daily running of the hospital, encouraging knowledge sharing and creating an environment where nurses feel confident asking questions, discussing cases and contributing ideas. We want our nursing team to feel valued, listened to, challenged and encouraged to develop. You’ll help us build on that culture while developing your own leadership skills and helping our hospital services continue to progress.

What we’re looking for in our next Lead Veterinary Nurse

We’re looking for an enthusiastic Registered Veterinary Nurse who combines strong clinical skills with a genuine interest in developing people and improving nursing services. You may already be working as a Lead Nurse or Senior RVN, or you may be an experienced RVN ready to take the next step in your career. You’ll bring:

• RCVS registration and at least two years' UK veterinary experience
• Strong clinical judgement and a commitment to high standards of patient care
• A genuine passion for mentoring, supporting and developing colleagues
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusting relationships across a team
• An interest in imaging, hospital medicine or developing clinical nursing services
• The confidence to challenge established ways of working and suggest practical improvements
• A collaborative approach, openness to feedback and the ability to bring colleagues with you through change

We’re particularly keen to hear from nurses interested in Schedule 3 procedures, advancing nursing services and helping colleagues make the most of their clinical skills.

Benefits – supporting your career and wellbeing

• Five weeks' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Your birthday off
• Annual leave pro-rata for part-time colleagues
• No overnight or out-of-hours commitment
• RCVS and VDS professional fees paid
• Funded external CPD
• Annual CPD allowance and three days of CPD leave
• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD programme
• Support for further qualifications through a training agreement
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• Wellness programme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Free annual flu jab
• Cycle to Work scheme

Why choose a career with Linnaeus?

Maven Veterinary Care is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family-owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned means we can focus on our purpose of creating a better world for pets, making long-term decisions rather than focusing solely on short-term profits. At Linnaeus, we believe A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. As part of a network of more than 6,000 Associates, you’ll have access to specialists, worldwide development opportunities and a comprehensive wellbeing package supporting your physical and mental health. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, diverse workplace where colleagues feel empowered to speak up, step up and perform at their best.

Ready to take the next step in your veterinary nursing career?

If you’re an experienced RVN looking for more responsibility, a Senior Veterinary Nurse ready to move into leadership or an established Lead Veterinary Nurse looking for a new opportunity, Maven could be the next step you’re looking for. You’ll have the opportunity to lead a team, influence clinical nursing services, develop your skills and play a meaningful part in the future of an award-winning veterinary hospital. We’d love to hear from you.

All applications with the relevant skills and qualifications will be carefully considered.

Salary; Up to £40,000 Dependent on experience OUTSTANDING QUALITY CARE