Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal

British Veterinary Association; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Part time

Job summary

An established industry player in veterinary care is seeking a dedicated veterinarian to join their passionate team. This role offers the opportunity to work in a beautiful rural setting while providing exceptional care for pets. With a strong emphasis on work-life balance, the practice supports continuous professional development and values the wellbeing of its staff. Enjoy the benefits of a generous leave policy, private medical insurance, and a supportive environment where you can thrive. If you are looking for a fulfilling career where your contributions truly matter, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

6.6 weeks annual leave

Private medical insurance

Cycle to Work scheme

£1250 CPD allowance

Discounted treatment for pets

Company pension scheme

Qualifications

• Qualified vet with experience in small animal practice.
• Further qualifications in surgery or imaging are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality veterinary care to pets.
• Collaborate with a supportive team to ensure patient wellbeing.

Skills

Veterinary Medicine

Surgery

Diagnostic Imaging

Client Communication

Team Collaboration

Education

Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Further qualifications (e.g., certificates)

Tools

Veterinary Equipment

Diagnostic Tools

Job description

Why would you want to work at The Barn?

Let’s face it, there’s plenty of choice in the job market currently, so finding the right practice for you is essential. At the Barn, we think we’ve got it pretty good, but you can be the judge of that. We’re a relatively small team with 7.5 FTE vets, 7 RVNs, 8 support staff and our practice manager. Many, if not most of our staff have been here, 10, 20, dare we say 30 years, which we see as a sign it’s a pretty good place to be. This year we won a regional award for our high staff retention. Many vets and nurses started here as placement students and have never left!

We’re a successful first-opinion practice with all the usual equipment and a very competent and experienced team. We currently have certificate holders in small animal surgery, diagnostic imaging, and ophthalmology. One of the team members is also part-way through completing a certificate in cardiology. Our nursing team comprises fully qualified RVNs with many years of experience.

As a practice, we have strong values and are known locally as a team that goes above and beyond for pets who need our help. We have strong affiliations with local and national charities and provide 3 off-site charity clinics per week. This approach to the care of our patients gives us a wide-ranging and loyal client base and has ultimately led to us outperforming other local practices whilst still maintaining our ethos, something of which we are very proud of.

We hope anyone visiting the Barn will quickly become aware that we are very proud of our identity and individuality. Again, we feel our clients are aware of this and appreciate it a great deal.

Where would you be working?

Our main practice is set in a beautiful rural location, surrounded by fields. You’re welcome to bring your dog(s) to work, and we often go on lunchtime country walks straight from the door of the practice. Did we mention that we are closed for lunch? We’ve found an hour of peace and quiet over lunchtime is invaluable. The practice itself is a converted barn, as you might have guessed. High ceilings, oak beams and a rather cosy coal fire in the waiting room in winter. Our branch practice is rather more hustle and bustle. The busier of the two practices, Ashcroft Road, is a converted residential building with 2 consulting rooms and a theatre, here we see more routine cases and have a high throughput of patients. Our vets work between both sites to give daily variety and also allow us to see our regular patients at both surgeries.

Ipswich, Suffolk’s county town, has many things to offer, among which are a close proximity to the coast and several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. If rural living isn’t your thing, we are under an hour from London and Norwich by train.

What hours will you be working?

The vacancy officially opens in April 2025 when one of our vets retires, but we are happy to look at an earlier start to suit you. We would ideally like a colleague to join us and work a 2.5-day week. This would consist of 2 full days and a short 3-hour shift on a Saturday morning. We would however consider someone needing more hours if the right candidate came along. The full days would ideally be either a Wednesday and Friday or a Monday and Friday. Again, we can be flexible for the right candidate. On both days, your finish time would be 7 pm. This role does not involve out-of-hours work.

What’s on offer?

To start, your salary can be up to £75k pro-rata (based on a 40hr week), depending on your level of experience and whether you have any further qualifications. We’d be more than happy to support further study, if that’s something you’re interested in. In addition to your salary, if you need to stay past the end of the day to treat a patient, you will be entitled to a bonus payment based on 1/3rd of any professional fees charged. This is a nice little extra at the end of the month! This is in addition to all the standard benefits on offer as an employee of IVC Evidensia.

What are you waiting for?

If you’re interested, we’d be more than happy for you to come and meet the team. We’re a laid-back bunch and genuinely enjoy working together.

Because our people 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, you will benefit from;

Work life balance

• 6.6 weeks annual leave
• Additional holiday entitlement for your birthday

Wellbeing

• Private medical insurance
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
• Non-accidental injury support

Development

• £1250 CPD allowance with 5 days paid pro rata
• Certificate support
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Access to Vetlexicon – our online encyclopaedia provider
• All our Vets & Nurses can apply for research funding
• All our Vets get £1000 per annum to spend via our Care Fund
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme
• Quality Improvement Programme

Professional Memberships

• BVA membership
• VDS cover

Colleague Benefits

• Company pension scheme. IVC Evidensia will make a contribution as well
• Supporting a greener commute to work with a Cycle to Work scheme and Green Cars Scheme, subject to eligibility criteria
• Voluntary benefits: we give you the flexibility to choose from a range of voluntary benefits to suit you
• Access to discounts/cashback with hundreds of participating retailers

Discounted treatment for your own pets at an IVC Evidensia practice.

At IVC Evidensia we are committed to Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging, we are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.