Lead Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal

Inspiring Vet Care; Witham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Welcome bonus up to £5,000

Relocation allowance up to £5,000

Private medical insurance

BCVA / RCVS fees coverage

Cycle to Work and Green Car schemes

Six-site practice experience

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Inspiring Vet Care in Essex is seeking a Lead Veterinary Surgeon to join our six-site practice. This role blends clinical leadership with hands-on veterinary work across consultations, surgery, and diagnostics.

You will shape clinical standards, support colleagues, and contribute to the growth of our network while enjoying a varied and rewarding caseload in a collaborative team.

Qualifications

• RCVS registration is required.
• Experience in clinical leadership and mentoring.
• Proven ability to lead a team in a multi-site practice.

Responsibilities

• Shape clinical direction across six sites.
• Support vets with varied caseloads in surgery and diagnostics.
• Contribute to ongoing clinical standards and improvements.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Veterinary surgery

Mentoring colleagues

Education

RCVS registration

Tools

Ultrasound

Endoscopy

ECG

IDEXX lab

Digital x-ray

Laparoscopic equipment

Orthopedic equipment

Job description

Welcome bonus up to £5,000

At inspiring vet care, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the UK’s number one vet care provider, we’re trusted with the care of over 2 million animals, delivering our purpose of healthier animals and happier owners.

Lead Veterinary Surgeon

Salary of up to £75,000 DOE

Relocation allowance up to £5,000

Welcome bonus up to £5,000

We are looking for an experienced Veterinary Surgeon to step into an additional Clinical Lead role, joining our established Clinical Lead team within a six-site practice in Essex. This is a key position for a confident clinician who enjoys a varied caseload while helping to shape clinical standards, support colleagues, and contribute to the continued growth of our practice.

You won’t be leading alone, you’ll work alongside our existing senior leadership group, adding your experience and perspective to a collaborative Clinical Lead structure that already supports our teams across all sites. This role has been created to strengthen our leadership capacity as we continue to expand, evolve, and invest in clinical excellence.

A Role That Balances Clinical Work and Leadership

You’re an experienced Veterinary Surgeon with RCVS registration, strong clinical capability, and a natural ability to support and guide others.

You will play a key role in shaping clinical direction, supporting less experienced vets, and working closely with the wider leadership team, whilst continuing to enjoy hands‑on clinical work across consultations, surgery, and diagnostics. You’ll have the opportunity to influence how the practice grows and evolves, contributing to clinical standards, continuous improvement and a strong, collaborative culture amongst our six clinics.

As an established six-site small animal practice, we have a large clinical team supported by experienced support staff; we offer strong support for certificate development and clinical interests across the team.

If you’re an experienced vet ready to shape the future of a well-established practice while continuing hands‑on work, this could be the perfect next step.

Clinical Variety with Real Depth

• You’ll see a broad mix of patients including cats, dogs, small furries and wildlife
• Certificate holders in ophthalmology, orthopedics surgery, soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, cardiology
• The caseload includes routine work alongside certificate holders in surgery, cardiology, ophthalmology and internal medicine. With hospital status allowing exposure to complex cases.
• You’ll have access to ultrasound, endoscopy, ECG, a full IDEXX lab, digital and dental x‑ray, and a wide range of laparoscopic and orthopedic equipment, all within a practice committed to continuous improvement and sustainability.
• Our main site offers separate cat and dog areas, multiple consult rooms, three theatres, dedicated imaging and lab spaces, purpose‑built wards, quiet office areas and welcoming staff facilities, opportunities to work across multiple branches.
• Vets work 40 hours over four days, with shifts from 8am to a 6.30pm last appointment. The rota includes 1 in 5 Saturday mornings and 1 in 8 emergency day cover for our own clients only. There’s no on‑call, and weekend working is balanced with extra time off, allowing up to five consecutive rest days.

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.