Lead Veterinary Surgeon

SCOTTISH SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days annual leave

Wellbeing days

Birthday day off

Life assurance 4x salary

Company pension contribution

RCVS and VDS fees paid

CPD allowance

Medicash benefit

Retail and gym discounts

Job summary

The Scottish SPCA seeks a Lead Veterinary Surgeon to head our clinical service across Glasgow and Lanarkshire (Cardonald). You will lead a team of vets, set clinical standards, and shape veterinary care delivery across the Society.

You will be accountable for complex cases, line-manage veterinary staff, and collaborate with inspectors and foster teams to ensure welfare-focused care. The role offers a stable weekday pattern with dedicated welfare leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is required.
• At least three years of companion animal practice across medicine, surgery and diagnostics.
• Confident clinical judgement and ability to delegate in a busy clinic.
• Experience managing performance with a collaborative approach.
• Ability to build trusted relationships inside and outside the organisation.
• Open to 360 feedback and committed to animal welfare.
• Full driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-quality clinical service for animals in care across Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
• Line-manage and develop veterinary surgeons and support nursing staff.
• Participate in case reviews with centre managers and external partners.
• Champion health and safety, infection control and biosecurity.
• Support welfare-led care and sustainable working patterns.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Delegation

Relationship building

360 feedback openness

Education

Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Job description

Lead Veterinary Surgeon — Glasgow & Lanarkshire (Cardonald)

Clinical leadership with welfare at its heart

The Scottish SPCA has been protecting animals and preventing cruelty since 1839. As Scotland's animal welfare charity, we care for the animals that have suffered most: those rescued by our Inspectorate from neglect, cruelty and abandonment. Our veterinary team works at the point where that rescue becomes recovery.

We're looking for a Lead Veterinary Surgeon to head our clinical service across Glasgow and Lanarkshire. You'll lead a team of vets, set the clinical standard for the animals in our care, and help shape how veterinary care is delivered across the Society.

What makes this role different

A truly welfare-led environment. Your clinical decisions are guided by what's right for the animal. You'll work hand in hand with our Inspectorate, the officers who rescue animals from the worst situations in Scotland. Few veterinary leadership roles have that direct connection to frontline animal protection.

Real clinical leadership.

You'll be the accountable veterinary surgeon for Glasgow and Lanarkshire, leading complex cases across a wide range of species. With the Veterinary and Behaviour Director, you'll make final treatment decisions across the whole Scottish SPCA network. You'll also line manage and develop our veterinary surgeons and help support our nursing team.

A sustainable working pattern.

Our clinics operate Monday to Friday and close at 5.30pm, with no evening, weekend, out-of-hours or on-call commitment. You'll work a 7.5-hour day with dedicated breaks. Good veterinary care depends on a team that isn't running on empty, and good leadership depends on that even more.

What you'll do

You'll lead a high-quality, pragmatic clinical service for animals in our care, fostered animals and those recently rehomed. You'll take the lead on complex and Temporary Refuge cases, and act as the first point of escalation for clinical concerns from triage. Working with the Clinic Manager and Head Nurse, you'll coach and mentor our nursing teams.

You'll join case reviews with operational and centre managers and our behaviour and foster teams, working to reduce time in care without compromising welfare. You'll also be a trusted source of clinical expertise for external veterinary partners, centre staff and the public. Throughout, you'll champion health and safety, infection control and biosecurity.

What we offer

• A sustainable Monday-to-Friday working pattern, with no evening, weekend or on-call working
• 31 days annual leave rising to 38 with length of service
• 2 dedicated Wellbeing days a year
• A day off for your birthday
• Life assurance 4x basic salary
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Company pension contribution
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• Dedicated CPD allowance
• Medicash benefit, including employee assistance programme services
• Retail and gym membership discounts
• The opportunity to lead meaningful work for an organisation that exists solely for animals

What we're looking for

• Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• At least three years of companion animal practice experience, including routine medicine, surgery and diagnostics across a range of species
• Confident clinical judgement and delegation in a busy clinic, ideally with veterinary leadership experience
• Experience managing performance, with a collaborative, solution-focused approach
• The ability to build trusted relationships inside and outside the organisation
• Openness to 360 feedback
• A genuine commitment to animal welfare and to our charitable purpose
• A full driving licence

This role is subject to a PVG check through Disclosure Scotland. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and may close earlier than advertised, so early application is recommended.

The Scottish SPCA is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We recognise that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to achieving our mission. Scottish Charity No. SC006467.