Senior Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Selworthy Vets; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A veterinary practice in Devon is seeking a Senior Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon to join their team. This role offers the chance to lead and mentor within a supportive environment while maintaining excellent work-life balance. With a salary range of £60,000–£75,000, the position includes opportunities to progress to Clinical Lead. The practice promotes a positive culture focused on clinical excellence and teamwork, making it an attractive workplace for veterinary professionals.

Benefits

Salary £60,000–£75,000

6.6 weeks holiday

CPD fully supported and funded

Accommodation available

Quarterly team wellbeing days

Family feel culture

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in a veterinary environment.
• Confidence in both medicine and surgery.
• Desire to inspire and support a veterinary team.

Responsibilities

• Deliver clinical care across a varied caseload.
• Mentor new graduates and junior vets.
• Improve clinical standards and refine protocols.
• Collaborate with Directors to develop services.

Skills

Leadership experience

Expertise in small animal medicine and surgery

Ability to mentor and guide juniors

Strong communication skills

Education

Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Tools

Ultrasound

Digital radiography

Dental radiography

Job description

Are you an experienced small animal vet who loves delivering outstanding care and inspiring a team?

At Selworthy Vets, nestled in beautiful Kingsbridge, Devon, you’ll have the autonomy to lead, mentor, and make a real impact every day.

We’re seeking aSenior Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon to join our close-knit, independent mixed practice. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the direction of our small animal team while enjoying genuine autonomy and a fantastic work-life balance — with the chance to step into a Clinical Lead position within 6–12 months.

About Selworthy Vets

For over 35 years, we’ve proudly served the South Hams community, providing a personal, caring, and professional service for animals large and small. As a family-run independent practice, we combine traditional values with the benefits of a purpose-built, modern facility and a skilled, supportive team.

Thomas joined Selworthy Vets in 2017 as a partner and became the sole owner in 2021. Since then, the practice has continued to grow and evolve, expanding both its team and services to meet the needs of our clients and their pets.

Our 8-vet team includes 3.5 FTE small animal vets, alongside mixed, equine and farm vets. We are supported by our fantastic nursing team, which includes 6 experienced RVNs and 2 SVNs, plus our wonderful receptionists and a management team who all share the same passion. Together, we foster a positive and progressive culture, encouraging collaboration as we strive for clinical excellence.

Our purpose-built surgery features:

• Separate dog and cat wards plus isolation unit
• Modern operating theatre and prep room
• Dedicated dental suite with dental X-ray
• Imaging suite (DR X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, and gastroscopy)
• Full in-house laboratory (including Imagyst)
• Hydrotherapy and physiotherapy facilities

And the best bit? We have space to grow, and we want you to have a say in how we do it. Whether it’s adding extra consult rooms or a second theatre as our surgical caseload expands, you can play an active role in shaping those plans, ensuring our facilities evolve to meet the needs of our patients and our team. We’re also working toward cat-friendly accreditation, reflecting our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and exceptional care.

The Role

This is a Senior Small Animal Vet position for someone who is confident in both medicine and surgery and enjoys leading by example. You’ll be a key part of our leadership team, helping to shape how we work and supporting colleagues to reach their full potential.

We’re looking for someone with proven leadership experience — a vet ready to take ownership, inspire, and support the team, while helping drive the practice forward as we continue to grow.

In this role, you will:

• Deliver outstanding clinical care across a varied and interesting caseload
• Provide guidance and mentor our new grads and junior vets, sharing your expertise generously
• Take an active role in continuously improving clinical standards, refining protocols, and supporting team development
• Work closely with the Directors to influence and evolve our small animal services

We’re especially keen to strengthen our medicine offering, but whether your expertise lies in medicine, surgery, or another area entirely, what matters most is your drive to lead, collaborate, and deliver exceptional care.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

At Selworthy, we believe in doing things properly; taking time with clients, supporting our team, and never compromising on care. You’ll be joining a genuinely friendly, experienced team who look out for each other, celebrate each other’s wins, and still find time for a catch-up and a laugh between consults (fuelled, of course, by our rather decent coffee machine).

Don’t just take our word for it—here’s what our team has to say about working at Selworthy:

“I joined the practice as a new graduate mixed vet, and it’s been a really welcoming place to work. It’s a busy practice, so the days go quickly and you’re always learning something new, but everyone is so lovely and easy to get along with. The nurses are absolutely FABULOUS - always smiley, supportive, and checking in to make sure I’m okay. There’s a real sense of teamwork across the whole practice, and everyone genuinely looks out for each other.” Maddie MRCVS

“Working at Selworthy not only gives vets a great opportunity to see a wide and varied caseload but also to work cases up from start to finish. There is well-supported clinical freedom to be able to follow cases of interest, whether that be medical, surgical or dental. CPD is encouraged, and there is scope to follow an area of interest. There are excellent consulting, surgical and laboratory facilities as well as a great ultrasound machine, digital radiography, dental radiography and lab equipment.”

“For a senior clinician, there is the opportunity to be able to lead and guide a team of small animal/mixed vets to ensure clinical excellence is achieved for every case. There is a fantastic 24 hr nursing team and a well-stocked drinks/snacks cupboard to support any vet thinking of joining the practice!” Liz MRCVS

The Rota

This is a full-time role with a 4-day week and a set day off, giving you a great work-life balance. Your days will include a mix of surgery and consults, with dedicated admin time and a proper lunch break.

Our out-of-hours service is run entirely by our own team, so clients always see familiar faces, day or night. You will only be on-call for small animal cases, and OOH shifts are fully supported by an experienced RVN who provides on-site inpatient care and triage.

OOH Commitment

• 1 weeknight on-call
• 1 in 4 weekends, including Saturday morning consults

This rota offers the chance to maintain continuity of care for your patients while enjoying predictable, manageable hours and excellent team support.

What We Offer

• Salary £60,000–£75,000 (DOE)
• Opportunity to progress to Clinical Lead within 6–12 months
• 6.6 weeks holiday
• CPD fully supported and funded, including certificates
• RCVS, VDS, and one membership of your choice paid
• Accommodation available (or potential for tax‑free local rental support)
• Quarterly funded team wellbeing days – your choice of activity
• Company pension
• Well-behaved dogs welcome at work
• Weekly fruit box and a seriously good coffee machine
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Supportive, family-feel culture with plenty of autonomy and respect

Why Kingsbridge?

If you’re craving a better quality of life, you’ll find it here. Nestled between Plymouth and Exeter, Kingsbridge offers the best of Devon — stunning beaches, rolling countryside, and Dartmoor on your doorstep, with easy access to the buzz of the city when you want it. Whether you love paddleboarding, coastal walks, or pub lunches after a sea swim, it’s a truly enviable place to live and work.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and make a meaningful impact in a practice that values independence, teamwork, and clinical excellence, we’d love to hear from you. Call us for an informal chat or apply today and discover how good independent practice can be.