Registered Veterinary Nurse - Surgery Team Leader

Hamilton Specialist Referrals; High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialist veterinary clinic in High Wycombe seeks a Surgery Clinical Team Leader to oversee the surgical nursing team, ensuring high standards of patient care. The role requires a qualified RVN with leadership skills and at least 3 years of surgical experience. This full-time position offers a competitive salary up to £40,000, generous leave, and benefits including private medical insurance, CPD support, and employee wellbeing initiatives.

Benefits

6.6 weeks annual leave

Enhanced family-friendly policies

Private medical insurance

CPD allowance

Pension scheme

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience.
• Confident in surgical nursing including anaesthesia and sterile techniques.
• Ability to manage high-pressure environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee surgical nursing team operations.
• Collaborate with surgeons and anaesthetists.
• Lead training and performance management.

Skills

Surgical nursing

Leadership

Communication

Clinical standards

Education

Qualified RVN

Postgraduate advanced qualifications (CertAVN, Grad Dip or VTS)

Job description

Are you a passionate and experienced RVN with a flair for leadership and a love for surgery? We're looking for a dynamic Surgery Clinical Team Leader to join our forward‑thinking veterinary team and take the lead in delivering outstanding patient care.

Combining leadership with advanced nursing, we believe in empowering our nurses to use their full skillset while supporting continuous growth and clinical excellence. This is an exciting opportunity for a Registered Veterinary Nurse who thrives in a surgical setting and is ready to take the next step in their career.

We provide expert, multidisciplinary veterinary services and are committed to the highest standards of clinical excellence. We are seeking a confident and motivated clinical leader to support our orthopaedic and soft tissue departments in delivering outstanding patient care in a fast‑paced, specialist environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day‑to‑day running of the surgical nursing team, ensuring high standards of patient care and safety.
• Collaborate closely with our surgeons, anaesthetists, and wider multidisciplinary team to deliver outstanding surgical outcomes.
• Lead, mentor and support a team of talented RVNs and VCAs.
• Support the development of protocols and promote evidence‑based practice in the surgical suite.
• Actively involve in surgery cases including anaesthesia monitoring.
• Take an active role in training, coaching and performance management.
• Contribute to rota planning and workflow efficiency.
• Lead the orthopaedic RVN team and support the soft‑tissue team.
• Oversee in‑house projects such as infection control and clinical governance.

Qualifications

• A qualified RVN with a minimum of 3 years’ post‑qualification experience (surgical or referral experience is a bonus).
• Postgraduate advanced qualifications such as CertAVN, Grad Dip or VTS are advantageous.
• Confident in all aspects of surgical nursing, including anaesthesia, sterile techniques, and instrumentation.
• Passionate about clinical standards, patient welfare, and continuous improvement.
• Organised, proactive, and calm under pressure.
• A natural leader who inspires and motivates others, with excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Committed to clinical excellence and continuous professional development.
• Able to manage a high‑pressure, fast‑paced environment with professionalism and calm.

Working pattern

A full‑time position covers 40 hours per week, across 4 days. There is a 1 in 6 weekend rota (Saturday & Sunday), and you would ordinarily work 2 bank holidays per year. Shift times during the week are 9 hours 15 minutes, typically between 07:30‑20:00 on a mixture of early or late shifts.

Because our employees matter

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our people, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive base salary of up to £40,000 DOE, you will benefit from:

• 6.6 weeks annual leave inclusive of bank holidays, with increasing leave based on length of service and a special entitlement for your birthday.
• Enhanced family‑friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay.
• Private medical insurance and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing.
• CPD allowance and certificate support.
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy and access to Vetlexicon.
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme and Quality Improvement Programme.
• VDS cover and RCVS fees.
• Relocation allowance and a reward gateway offering discounts and cashback with 100+ retailers.
• Pension – 5% employee / 3% employer.
• Discounted staff pet care.

Up to £40,000 DOE.