Lead Veterinary Surgeon

Linnaeus; England; On-site; GBP 63,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading veterinary practice in the UK is seeking a dedicated Lead Veterinary Surgeon. In this role, you'll work closely with the Clinical Director to maintain high clinical standards and support team growth. You will enjoy a balanced workload with a 40-hour work week, leadership training opportunities, and excellent benefits including generous holiday and CPD support. Join a team committed to making a positive impact in veterinary care and promoting excellent client relationships.

Benefits

5 weeks of holiday plus bank holidays

Relocation support

RCVS and VDS fees paid

Generous staff discount for pets

Enhanced family leave

Qualifications

• Confident and experienced veterinary surgeon.
• Strong clinical decision-making abilities.
• Ability to drive clinical governance.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership and support the team.
• Collaborate on operational decisions.
• Maintain high standards of care and client service.

Skills

Clinical leadership

High standards of care

Team collaboration

Clinical decision-making

Client relationship management

Education

Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Job description

Job Title: Lead Veterinary Surgeon

Salary: Up to £75,000 per annum (Depending on experience)

Location: Rutland Veterinary Centre, Uppingham, Rutland

Hours: 40 hours per week over 4 or 5 days, with a 1:5 weekend rota (currently 1:10) and protected admin time. There will be no on call with this role.

We have a unique opportunity for a Lead Veterinary Surgeon to join our team. As Lead Veterinarian, you’ll work alongside our Clinical Director to maintain clinical excellence, support team growth, and help drive the ongoing success of our practice. Whether you’re an experienced vet looking for your next challenge, or ready to take that important step into leadership, this is your chance to grow, lead, and thrive. Come and join us – and help shape the future of veterinary care with us.

Why join us?

• Lead with purpose – make meaningful decisions, mentor others, and elevate standards of care.
• Varied caseload – from routine to more complex cases, giving you scope to continually develop.
• Collaborative team – work alongside friendly colleagues with postgraduate certificates who value mentorship and shared learning.
• Invest in your future – access leadership training, CPD support, and encouragement to pursue clinical interests and certificates.
• Excellent facilities – including dental x-ray, laparoscope and gastroscope.
• Work-life balance – enjoy a four-day working week (or spread across five days if preferred) with built-in admin time, plus flexibility for important appointments, family events, and emergencies.

The Team

We are a first opinion practice with our RCVS-accredited branches in Corby, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Oakham and Syston, along with our RVCS-accredited veterinary hospital in Uppingham. We pride ourselves in offering on-site emergency care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our dedicated team of clinical and non-clinical staff provide high standards of bespoke, affordable care to our patients and our clients. We are heavily involved in the local community and actively support many local pet charities.

Whilst our vets currently cover on-call duties, these will be minimal as we transition into our brand-new hospital with a dedicated night-team at Melton Mowbray in April 2026. Weekend day shifts will be worked on a rota basis along with a shared bank holiday day shift rota.

You’ll have the backing of a dedicated administrative team (HR, H&S, finance) to handle the non-clinical details, freeing you to focus on veterinary excellence.

As part of the Linnaeus family, you’ll also benefit from collaborating with like-minded colleagues across the group, attending clinical, business, and leadership meetings, and contributing to veterinary excellence on a wider scale.

What we’re looking for

• A confident and experienced veterinary surgeon able to provide clinical leadership and support the team.
• Upholds high standards of care and client service.
• Drives clinical governance and ensures compliance with practice protocols.
• Collaborates with the Practice Manager on rota planning, team wellbeing, and operational decisions.
• Enjoys supporting others, building team culture, and leading with empathy and clarity.
• Strong clinical decision‑making abilities and able to interpret diagnostics effectively.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced environment and remains calm under pressure.
• Collaborative team player who helps maintain a positive culture and fosters excellent client relationships.

What we offer

• 5‑weeks holiday plus bank holidays and birthday leave
• Relocation support
• Paid lunch break
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• Employer contribution pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Generous staff discount for your pets
• E‑car salary sacrifice scheme
• Enhanced equal family leave
• Extensive internal and funded external CPD

About us

Rutland and Kings Vets is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family‑owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned, we can truly be driven by our purpose, to create a better world, and think long‑term as opposed to being focused solely on short‑term profits.

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. Our Associates are over 6000 strong and empowered to speak up, step up and deliver quality services. You’ll have access to a huge network of specialists, worldwide development opportunities and an easily accessible, comprehensive wellbeing package that prioritises your physical and mental health, allowing you to focus on what you do best – care for pets.

We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse, we care about you and want you to be authentic, with everything you need to perform at your best. We are all individual but two important things bring us together: a commitment to excellence and our passion to achieve our purpose.

If you would like to apply for this position or would simply like to discuss it in more detail, please contact [e-mail] or complete the application form below.