Lead Veterinary Surgeon - Village Vet Berkhamsted

Job Title: Lead Veterinary Surgeon

Location: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

Hours: 42 hours per week across 4 days, including weekends (either 1 in 3 Saturdays or 1 full weekend in 6, with time off in lieu)

Practice: Village Vet Berkhamsted & St Albans Hospital

Salary: Up to £75,000 DOE + relocation support available for direct candidates

If you're an experienced Veterinary Surgeon ready to take the next step in your career, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact without stepping away from the clinical work you love.

We're looking for a Lead Veterinary Surgeon to join our welcoming and established Berkhamsted team, combining hands-on first opinion practice with the opportunity to shape the future of the clinic. Whether you've already led a team or you're ready to step into your first leadership position, you'll have the autonomy to influence clinical standards, support and develop your colleagues, and help drive the practice forward, whilst continuing to enjoy a varied and rewarding clinical caseload.

This is more than a traditional Lead Vet role. It's an opportunity to lead an established practice with the support of the wider Village Vet network and St Albans Hospital behind you. You'll enjoy the autonomy of leading your own team whilst benefiting from collaboration with experienced colleagues, access to advanced facilities and the confidence of knowing you're never professionally isolated. It's the ideal balance for someone who wants to make a real impact whilst continuing to grow both clinically and as a leader.

Why join us?
Competitive salary of up to £75,000 DOE, with relocation support available for direct candidates
A genuine leadership opportunity where you can influence clinical standards, ways of working and the future direction of the practice whilst remaining hands-on clinically
Approximately 60% consulting and 40% surgery, allowing you to enjoy a varied caseload whilst balancing your leadership responsibilities
A loyal, affluent and highly insured client base, giving you the clinical freedom to investigate cases thoroughly and practise evidence-based medicine to a high standard
Work within a well-equipped practice featuring ultrasound, digital radiography, digital dental radiography, a dedicated operating theatre, separate dental suite, kennel facilities and vivariums
Strong collaboration with the wider Village Vet network and St Albans Hospital, providing access to experienced colleagues, advanced facilities and additional clinical support whenever needed
A stable, experienced and genuinely supportive team environment where your ideas, leadership and clinical expertise will be valued
Excellent opportunities for continued professional development, leadership development and long-term career progression within one of the UK's leading veterinary groups

The team and practice

You'll be joining an established and close-knit team that prides itself on delivering exceptional patient care whilst maintaining a collaborative, supportive and enjoyable working environment. The Berkhamsted practice currently consists of:

1 Veterinary Surgeon (currently studying towards an Exotic Animal Certificate)
4 Registered Veterinary Nurses
4 Client Care Assistants

With an existing focus on exotics within the team, we're particularly keen to hear from Veterinary Surgeons with a passion for companion animal medicine and surgery, helping to further strengthen and complement our clinical offering.

As Lead Vet, you'll play an important role in shaping the clinical direction of the practice, supporting and developing your colleagues, encouraging clinical excellence and fostering a positive team culture where everyone can thrive. Whilst dedicated new graduate mentoring sits within the wider Village Vet programme, you'll have opportunities to coach and support colleagues as part of your leadership role without carrying sole responsibility for a graduate from day one.

Village Vet Berkhamsted has built an excellent reputation within the local community and benefits from a loyal, affluent client base with a high proportion of insured patients. This allows our vets the clinical freedom to work cases up thoroughly, explore the best treatment options and deliver exceptional patient care based on clinical judgement rather than financial limitations.

Working closely with our St Albans Hospital gives you the best of both worlds. You'll enjoy the autonomy and continuity of leading your own first opinion practice whilst having access to experienced colleagues, advanced diagnostics, additional equipment and a wider multidisciplinary network whenever required. It creates a collaborative environment where you're empowered to make decisions independently but always have expert support available when you need it.

Situated on the edge of the beautiful Chiltern Hills, Berkhamsted offers an exceptional quality of life. Combining historic charm with independent cafés, restaurants, green open spaces and excellent schools, it's an ideal location for those looking to enjoy a better work-life balance. With direct rail links into London in around 30 minutes, you'll benefit from countryside living without sacrificing access to the capital.

What we're looking for
An experienced small animal Veterinary Surgeon with strong UK first opinion practice experience (at least 5 years) confident managing routine medical and surgical cases independently
Previous experience working within UK general practice is essential, enabling you to confidently lead the clinical team and make sound independent clinical decisions
Someone ready to take ownership of a practice, influence clinical standards and inspire those around them
A collaborative leader who enjoys supporting and developing colleagues whilst creating a positive, inclusive and high-performing team culture
Excellent communication skills with a passion for building trusted, long-term client relationships
A strong interest in companion animal medicine and surgery, particularly dogs and cats
A commitment to delivering exceptional standards of patient and client care every day
Previous leadership experience is welcomed but isn't essential, we'd also love to hear from experienced clinicians who are ready to take the next step into a Lead Veterinary Surgeon role

What we offer  

• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays and Birthday Leave   

• RCVS and VDS fees paid   

• External CPD funded   

• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD program   

• Career progression opportunities   

• Staff discount schemes   

• Life Assurance   

• Enhanced sickness pay   

• Enhanced equal family leave   

• E-car salary sacrifice scheme   

• Employer contribution pension scheme    

• Recruitment referral reward scheme   

• Wellness program including:    

• Employee assistance program   

• Eyecare voucher scheme   

• Free annual Flu jab   

• Cycle to work scheme   

About Us

Village Vets is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family-owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned, we can truly be driven by our purpose, to create a better world, and think long-term as opposed to being focused solely on short-term profits.   

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. Our Associates are over 6000 strong and empowered to speak up, step up and deliver quality services. You’ll have access to a huge network of specialists, worldwide development opportunities and an easily accessible, comprehensive wellbeing package that prioritises your physical and mental health, allowing you to focus on what you do best – care for pets.  

We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse, we care about you and want you to be authentic, with everything you need to perform at your best. We are all individual but two important things bring us together: a commitment to excellence and our passion to achieve our purpose. 

If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with Joanne in the recruitment team joanne.gray@linnaeusgroup.co.uk

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