Lead Veterinary Surgeon (Certificate Holder)

Location: Leicester
Salary: Up to £77,000 per annum DOE
Hours: 4-day week | 8am–6pm or 8:30am–6:30pm | 1:5 weekend rota | Protected leadership/admin time

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced and ambitious Lead Veterinary Surgeon to join a thriving small animal practice in Leicester. This role is ideal for a Certificate Holder Veterinary Surgeon looking to take the next step into a senior clinical leadership position within a progressive and growing veterinary hospital environment.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Clinical Director to maintain clinical excellence, mentor and support the veterinary team, and help drive the continued success and growth of the practice ahead of an exciting move into a brand-new, purpose-built veterinary hospital.

The Opportunity

This is more than a standard veterinary surgeon role — it is an opportunity to influence the future direction of a modern and forward-thinking veterinary practice.

The Lead Veterinary Surgeon will:

• Provide clinical leadership across the practice, maintaining exceptional standards of patient and client care
• Support and mentor veterinary colleagues, including graduate vets and less experienced team members
• Manage a varied small animal caseload, including both routine and complex medical and surgical cases
• Play a key role in the strategic development and growth of the practice
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative, and supportive team culture
• Help drive clinical governance and ensure compliance with practice protocols and best-practice veterinary medicine

The practice already benefits from a highly skilled clinical team, including multiple certificate holders and Advanced Practitioners in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, and actively encourages ongoing professional development and further qualifications.

About the Practice

This busy and well-established small animal practice is preparing to relocate to a brand-new veterinary hospital, creating an exciting opportunity for a Lead Vet to help shape the future of the service from the ground up.

The successful candidate will be supported by:

• An experienced and dedicated nursing team
• Strong administrative and operational support including HR, finance, and health & safety
• A collaborative senior leadership team
• Access to excellent CPD and leadership development opportunities

Work-Life Balance

The practice is committed to supporting a healthy work-life balance and offers:

• A 4-day working week
• Protected administration and leadership time
• Flexible support for important personal commitments and family events
• No out-of-hours or on-call requirements
• Shared weekend and bank holiday day rota across the team

Candidate Requirements

The ideal candidate will be an experienced RCVS-registered Veterinary Surgeon with strong clinical and leadership capabilities.

Applicants should have:

• A Certificate qualification as a minimum requirement
• Ideally a medicine or imaging bias
• Previous experience supporting or mentoring veterinary teams
• Excellent clinical decision-making and diagnostic interpretation skills
• Strong communication and client care abilities
• A collaborative and empathetic leadership style
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced veterinary environment while remaining calm under pressure

Benefits

The practice offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Salary up to £77,000 DOE
• 5 weeks annual leave plus bank holidays and birthday leave
• Relocation support available
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• Employer pension contribution scheme
• Generous staff discount scheme
• Life assurance
• Electric car salary sacrifice scheme
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Extensive internal and funded external CPD
• Leadership development opportunities

Location

Located in Leicester, the practice offers the perfect balance of suburban convenience, green space, and easy access to the city centre. The area benefits from affordable housing, excellent transport links, highly regarded schools, and a strong community feel, making it an excellent place to live and work.

For more information or for a confidential chat, please contact Will on 01904 570056 or email to w.kovach-ward@purovets.com  

You can also WhatsApp us at WhatsApp - Purovets and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about our great opportunities.  

To view all our vacancies, please visit https://purovets.com/veterinary-jobs/ 

And don't forget, if this position is of no interest to you but you know someone who may be interested, please pass on our details. We offer £250* for every successful candidate referral. *Terms and conditions apply.

Ref no: JOB-58266