Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

North Shields Vets; North East; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary up to £65,000

6.6 weeks annual leave

£2,000 CPD allowance and 3 CPD days

Life insurance

Health and wellbeing services

Workplace pension

Enhanced maternity/paternity pay

Pet care at cost

Job summary

North Shields Vets is seeking an experienced Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon to manage a varied caseload, build lasting client relationships and deliver outstanding patient care.

We offer a friendly, independent practice with a team that supports work-life balance, flexible patterns (full-time or part-time), and a diary designed to protect time for patients and staff. Laparoscopy and ultrasound are available, with skilled support from locums.

Qualifications

• Several years of postgraduate experience in small animal practice.
• Confident with consultations, routine surgery and dentistry.
• Comfortable with some sole-charge duties and a supportive team environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied caseload while delivering high-quality patient care.
• Build lasting relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Assist in imaging, surgeries and occasional emergencies.
• Support ongoing professional development and teamwork.

Skills

Small animal clinical skills

Client communication

Team collaboration

Diary management

Tools

Ultrasound

Laparoscopic surgery

Digital X-ray

In-house laboratory

Job description

A practice where you know your clients, feel part of the community and have a team looking out for you, too.

We are seeking an experienced Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon who enjoys managing a varied caseload, building lasting client relationships and delivering outstanding patient care.

We’re husband-and-wife owners Rob and Amber Pattinson. When we opened North Shields Vets in May 2026, we wanted to create somewhere we would love to work ourselves: a friendly, independent practice delivering high-quality veterinary medicine and surgery, with time for our patients and a healthy balance between work and life outside it.

We’ve been warmly welcomed by our local community and have grown quickly. We’re now looking for a colleague who shares our values and would enjoy helping shape what comes next.

Growing thoughtfully, with our team at the heart of it

We’re proud of the trust our clients have placed in us and want to protect the personal service they value. That means growing thoughtfully. We’re planning to pause new client registrations while we recruit to keep workloads manageable. As owners working within the practice, we can make those decisions ourselves.

We build admin time and an hour’s lunch break into the day, block appointments when the team needs breathing space and keep the final appointment slot clear to help everyone finish on time. Veterinary work will always bring the occasional unexpected emergency, but we organise our diary with a manageable working day in mind.

A lovely team, with support that goes beyond the clinical work

You’ll join a friendly, experienced team where everyone is encouraged to share ideas, ask questions and contribute. Alongside Rob, you'll work with experienced RVNs, animal care assistants, and reception colleagues, with additional support from regular, experienced locum vets.

Rob brings more than 15 years of experience across mixed and small animal practice, in both independent and corporate settings from Sri Lanka to the Outer Hebrides. He prides himself on excellent client and clinical care, with an honest, relaxed and approachable style.

Amber is our practice manager and a clinical psychologist by background. She brings her communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills to the day‑to‑day running of the practice, with a particular interest in making it a nurturing, supportive place to work.

We have regular supportive one‑to‑ones: personal check‑ins to hear how you’re doing, what’s working and where you might need help. Our team meetings offer space for everyone to contribute, usually over a nice lunch.

We also enjoy spending time together outside work. We’ve already been out for a team meal and drinks, our Christmas party is booked, and we’re thinking about a night at the comedy club soon.

We understand that life needs room in the diary. Whether it’s an appointment, a school play or another personal commitment, we’ll do our best to accommodate it. With a young family ourselves, we know how much that flexibility matters.

What our team say

“North Shields Vets has been a breath of fresh air. The team are so welcoming, the caseload is varied, and we constantly strive for the highest level of care for all our patients. I haven't looked back since NSV opened.”

“We have such a lovely team at North Shields Vets and a really relaxed atmosphere. We all get along so well, have a laugh and really pull together when things get busy. Everyone is so approachable, including Rob and Amber, and I love that there's no real sense of hierarchy. Everyone's ideas are welcomed, we're encouraged to get involved and explore what interests us, and I feel incredibly supported to learn and develop.”

“We're a small practice, but we're a busy little clinic, and there's always something going on! I love that we can bring in visiting vets for things like orthopaedic surgery and advanced ultrasound, and that we're always looking at ways to do more for our patients in‑house. We recently had a puppy in for PDA surgery, which was such an exciting case for the team to be involved in! Rob and Amber genuinely care about us and are always open to feedback and new ideas. I feel really lucky to be part of a team where everyone supports each other and where I can see myself staying for a long time.”

“Working as a veterinary receptionist for North Shields Vets is incredibly rewarding. Every day is different, and our role goes far beyond answering phones and booking appointments. We are often the first point of contact for clients, offering reassurance, compassion and support when they need it most. I am proud to work alongside a fantastic team, both clerical and clinical, who are supportive, caring and go above and beyond.”

Interesting cases, clinical freedom and experienced support

You’ll have the opportunity to work up cases to a high standard, see them through and develop your clinical interests.

Our facilities include digital X‑ray, an in‑house laboratory, ultrasound and laparoscopic surgery. If you haven’t used laparoscopy before, Rob is happy to teach you.

We also have excellent visiting clinical support, including an experienced ultrasonographer for advanced imaging and cardiac scans, and surgical support that allows us to keep more complex cases in‑house. This includes orthopaedic procedures such as TPLOs and fracture repairs, giving our patients continuity of care and our team opportunities to follow interesting cases through treatment and recovery.

You don’t need a certificate or a particular clinical interest to join us. We value a confident, thoughtful GP who enjoys first‑opinion practice. We encourage clinical freedom and support professional development, whether your interests lie in medicine, surgery, diagnostics or mentoring. An interest in ultrasound would be welcome, but isn’t essential.

The role and working pattern

We’re looking for someone with a few years’ postgraduate experience and a solid grounding in small animal practice, who is comfortable with consultations, routine surgery and dentistry, and happy with some sole charge.

Just as important is the way you work with people. We’d love a colleague who listens, communicates warmly and clearly, and enjoys being part of a close team. Our clients value feeling heard and understood, and we want you to enjoy building those lasting relationships.

We’re open to full‑time or part‑time applications, and happy to discuss a working pattern that suits us both.

Our full‑time pattern is:

• Four weekdays, working 8.15am–6.15pm with a one‑hour lunch break.
• One in four Saturday mornings, 8.45am–12.15pm.
• Saturday mornings are consulting only, with no routine operations booked.
• No OOH or on‑call duties, with out‑of‑hours care provided externally.

What we offer

• Salary up to £65,000, with scope for discussion depending on your experience and qualifications.
• 6.6 weeks’ annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays.
• £2,000 annual CPD allowance and three days’ paid CPD leave, pro rata for part‑time colleagues.
• Aviva life insurance.
• Access to health and wellbeing services, including a digital GP, annual health check, and mental health and nutritional consultations.
• Workplace pension.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay after two years’ service.
• Veterinary care at cost price for two pets.

A community you’ll enjoy being part of

North Shields has a friendly, independent spirit, with local shops, cafés, creative businesses and a community that supports them.

Tynemouth and Whitley Bay are close by, with beautiful beaches, coastal walks, surfing and plenty of places to stop for coffee or dinner. Newcastle is around 20 minutes away by car, with music, shopping, restaurants and city life within easy reach. For quieter days, there’s the Northumberland countryside and coastline to explore.

Whether you’re already local, hoping to return to the North East or considering a fresh start by the sea, there’s plenty here to make life outside work enjoyable.

Come and get to know us

We’re building a practice we’re proud of, and we’d love to find someone who wants to be part of its future.

If you’re looking for a practice where teamwork, clinical excellence and work‑life balance are genuinely prioritised, we’d love to hear from you.