Veterinary Surgeon

RSPCA; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

RSPCA Manchester Animal Hospital is seeking a Veterinary Surgeon to join us on a casual basis. The role involves treating rescued animals across our Manchester facilities and occasionally offsite work at other centres.

This zero-hours contract includes shifts 08:00–16:00, with on-call, night/weekend allowances, and travel across the region. You should be RCVS‑registered, have an interest or experience in shelter medicine, and be able to work autonomously, communicating complex welfare decisions

Qualifications

• Registered veterinary surgeon with RCVS.
• Interest or experience in shelter medicine.
• Driver's license essential for regional travel.
• Ability to work autonomously and explain welfare decisions clearly.

Responsibilities

• Neutering and soft tissue surgery.
• Shelter medicine and clinical care for rescued animals.
• Dentistry as part of the care plan.
• Off-site work around once a week for shelter medicine.
• Implementing RSPCA policies on re-homability and welfare decisions.
• Welfare support for the Inspectorate.

Skills

Autonomy

Decision making

Shelter medicine

Welfare focus

Education

Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Job description

Do you want to help create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in creating a better world for every animal. We can do it if we work together, everyone for every animal.

Choose a career with us and make a difference.

We are looking for a new team member as a Veterinary Surgeon to join us at our Manchester Animal Hospital and surrounding areas on a casual basis.

• Working hours: This is a casual role (zero hours contract). Shifts will be offered between 08.00 to 4.00pm. On-call shifts overnight and weekend shifts will also be available. Overnight shifts are compensated with an out-of-hours allowance.
• Onsite role: Manchester Animal Hospital - Your role also includes regular offsite work, travelling to our other animal centres/hospitals.

What a day might look like for you

Here at RSPCA no two days are the same, but, we've added a short summary of what a typical day might look like. For full insight please refer to the attached job description.

Our expert team at Greater Manchester Animal Hospital provide life saving veterinary care to thousands of animals rescued by RSPCA frontline officers. They also provide vital support to rescued animals being cared for at RSPCA centres.Unlike private veterinary practices, our focus is exclusively on rescued, stray, neglected, and abused animals rather than owned pets.

In this rewarding and varied role, you will oversee the treatment and rehabilitation of injured, ill, and vulnerable animals, demonstrating clinical competence across a broad range of veterinary disciplines. Your responsibilities will include:

• Neutering and other soft tissue surgery
• Shelter medicine
• Dentistry
• Participating in off site work around once a week for shelter medicine work with our local branches and centre
• Implementing RSPCA policies in regards to the re-homability of animals including decision making on individual cases
• Welfare support work for the RSPCA Inspectorate

What will help you succeed in this role:

• Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Interest or previous experience in shelter medicine
• A pragmatic, welfare oriented approach
• Happy to handle dogs, cats, small furries and possibly bird and wildlife initial triage (although you not expected to be an expert on wildlife)
• Ability to work autonomously and make informed decisions
• In line with above you will have the ability to explain complex clinical and welfare decisions in a clear and compassionate way to a variety of non-clinical staff, including the animal centre teams and Inspectorate
• A driver's license is essential for this position due to consistent travel across the region.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles may need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas.

Final note from us & good luck with your application!

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible.

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our purpose is to inspire everyone to create a better world for animals. We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our purpose. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA.

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at [e-mail] or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.