Lead Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal

Inspiring Vet Care; Chatham; On-site; GBP 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation allowance

Welcome bonus

Accommodation provided

Private medical insurance

6.6 weeks holidays

Job summary

Inspiring Vet Care in Chatham, Kent, is seeking a Lead Vet to join our friendly, collaborative team. This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll remain clinical and client-facing while guiding the practice and its staff.

We offer a generous package including relocation up to £3,000, welcome bonus up to £5,000, accommodation available, and a flexible rota. Applications from full-time or part-time vets are welcome.

Qualifications

• Lead Vet experience or leadership role preferred
• Willingness to remain clinically active while leading the team

Responsibilities

• Lead clinical team and manage practice operations
• Develop and mentor staff; balance leadership with clinical duties
• Support leadership development and policy implementation

Job description

Inspiring Vet Care - Chatham, Kent

Salary of up to £90,000 DOE

Relocation allowance up to £3,000

Welcome bonus up to £5,000

Accommodation available

Flexible rota designed around you

Are you an experienced vet ready to take the next step in your career? Perhaps you’re already a clinical lead, or you’re looking for your first opportunity to step into leadership with the longer-term ambition of progressing towards a Clinical Director role.

This could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

At Inspiring Vet Care, we’re looking for a Lead Vet to join our friendly, collaborative team in Chatham, Kent. We’re open to full-time or part-time applicants and are keen to find the right candidate.

A leadership role without losing the clinical side

This is a genuinely hands‑on leadership position. The majority of your time will remain clinical and patient-facing, allowing you to continue doing what you love while developing your leadership and management skills.

You’ll have dedicated time for the administrative and leadership aspects of the role, with a realistic workload and no expectation that your work should encroach on your personal time. We want you to have the space to develop as a leader while maintaining a healthy balance outside of work.

For the right person, this role could be an excellent stepping stone towards Clinical Director or wider clinical leadership opportunities.

And you won’t be expected to figure it all out alone. We’ll support your development through training, leadership development and access to leadership courses, helping you build the skills and confidence to take your career where you want it to go.

Practice Highlights

• You’ll be joining an established and supportive team consisting of: Vet, Head Nurse, 4 RVNs, 1 SVN, 5 Client Care, colleagues, Practice Director, Practice Manager
• Fantastic links to London
• We’re proud of our collaborative culture and believe great patient care comes from a team that communicates well, supports one another and enjoys coming to work.
• Following a recent re‑brand, the practice has a fresh, modern feel and is continuing to evolve.
• Our facilities include:4 consulting rooms, dedicated patient wards, a dedicated theatre, separate dental space, separate cat and dog waiting areas
• Based in Kent, you’ll be close to historic Rochester, with its cathedral, castle and characterful streets, as well as the historic Chatham Dockyard. It’s a great location offering easy access to both town and countryside, with plenty to explore outside of work.

What We Offer Our Team

• 6.6 weeks’ holiday including bank holidays
• Private medical insurance
• Enhanced family leave and pay across maternity, paternity, adoption and surrogacy
• BVA membership, VDS cover & RCVS fees
• Cycle to Work and Green Car schemes (eligibility applies)
• Retail discounts and cashback offers
• Reduced-cost veterinary care for your own pets

We’re committed to supporting our people through career development opportunities, wellbeing initiatives and access to world‑class learning resources.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take the next step in your career, inspiring vet care offers the support, opportunity and community to help you grow.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Up to £90,000 DOE