Senior Veterinary Surgeon - Emergency Out of Hours

Vets Now; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 57,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to £95,000 salary DOE

£10,000 Recognition Bonus

Up to £5,000 Relocation Allowance

Seven weeks pro rata annual leave

£1,875 CPD allowance + 35 CPD hours

RCVS fees covered

Private medical insurance

Pension contributions (5% employee / 3

Job summary

Vets Now Peterborough seeks a Head/Lead Veterinary Surgeon to inspire clinical excellence and steer a high-performing team in emergency and critical care. You will set the tone for quality care, lead in emergencies, and support colleagues and pets across the ECC service.

With responsibility for clinical standards, staff growth and service innovation, this full-time role offers leadership duties, competitive compensation, and a robust benefits package within a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Experienced in emergency and critical care settings.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop a veterinary team.
• Strong communication and decision-making under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead the clinic to maintain high clinical standards.
• Support growth, training and wellbeing of the veterinary team.
• Identify clinical development opportunities and guide progression.
• Champion service improvements and innovation within the clinic.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Emergency and critical care

Mentorship

Team collaboration

Job description

Your purpose. Our passion.

Vets Now Peterborough are welcoming applications from Out of Hours (OOH) Veterinary Surgeons with a passion for Emergency and Critical Care to join their team on a full-time basis. Vets Now is the UK’s leading provider of emergency veterinary care, with a nationwide network of out of hours clinics and 24/7 emergency hospitals. As part of Inspiring Vet Care, our teams make a difference to pets and their owners when they need us most.

At Vets Now, we believe that when your purpose is to make a difference, you deserve a team that shares your passion. In our Peterborough clinic, we’re looking for a Head/Lead Veterinary Surgeon to lead from the front - inspiring clinical excellence and guiding a high-performing and collaborative team that supports pets and people when they need it most.

Peterborough offers a compelling mix of housing affordability, fast commuter links to London, and extensive green spaces. Located in Cambridgeshire, it has grown rapidly as a major hub for families, professionals, and students seeking a lower cost of living without sacrificing connectivity.

Lead with Clinical Excellence

As Senior Vet, You’ll Lead By Example By Blending Clinical Expertise With Mentorship And Collaboration. You’ll Set The Tone For Quality Care, Lead In Emergency Situations, And Support The Development Of Your Fellow Clinicians. You'll Have Responsibility For

• Driving and upholding clinical standards across the clinic
• Supporting the growth, training and wellbeing of your veterinary team
• Identifying clinical development opportunities and shaping team progression
• Championing innovation and service improvement within the clinic

This is more than a job. This is a vital leadership role with real impact where your guidance helps shape the future of ECC, while making a difference to patients, clients, and colleagues every day.

Work-Life Balance That Works for You

This Full-time Role Averages 40 Hours Per Week, Including

• Weekday nights and 1:2 weekends (mix of nights and days)
• Night shifts 1900-0900, Saturday day 1200-1930 and Sunday day 0830-1930
• Shared bank holidays
• No more than three consecutive nights
• Protected time for leadership duties and meetings

We understand that life outside of work matters too. That’s why we offer flexibility and can explore part-time arrangements, depending on clinic requirements because your balance is our priority.

Rewarding Work, Your Way

Benefits

We look after you, so you can look after them, by offering a highly competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Up to £95,000 salary DOE
• £10,000 Recognition Bonus
• Up to £5,000 Relocation Allowance
• Seven weeks’ pro rata annual leave
• £1,875 CPD allowance plus 35 paid CPD hours (pro rata)
• RCVS fees, VECCS membership, and VDS cover
• Private medical insurance
• Family-friendly policies - enhanced maternity, paternity & adoption pay
• Leadership Development Programme
• Access to our AdvantEdge clinical training platform
• Standard pension contributions (5% employee / 3% employer)
• Up to 50% discounted pet care

Support That Sets You Up for Success

You’re never alone at Vets Now: on-shift you’ll work alongside a registered vet nurse, an animal care assistant and a receptionist, and you can contact any of our clinics or referral centers across the UK at any time, day or night, if needing to discuss a particular case or share ideas.

You’ll also be supported by our Support Office in Dunfermline, where our teams work behind the scenes to help you thrive. Our Call Handlers and Customer Care Advisors ensure you can focus on what matters most, your patients.

Ready to Lead with Purpose?

Inclusion and Accessibility

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability or health condition, we’re committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

£0 - £0 a year

Salary up to £95,000 DOE

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.