Veterinary Surgeon, Mixed Animal

About the Role

Academy Vets is seeking a Veterinary Surgeon to join its friendly, experienced mixed practice team in Stranraer, Southwest Scotland. You'll work full-time Monday to Friday (8:30am to 6:00pm) with a manageable 2:10 weekend on-call rota and time off in lieu following on-call weekends. This is a genuinely varied role with no two days the same: dairy fertility, herd health planning, small animal consulting and surgery, equine work, and production animal medicine all feature regularly.

Based in the beautiful Galloway region surrounded by stunning coastline and the Southern Uplands, this role suits a vet who thrives on variety and wants to develop skills across multiple species within a collaborative, well-established team.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide clinical care across farm, small animal, and equine cases
• Deliver consultations, surgical procedures, and herd health planning
• Participate in the out-of-hours rota and weekend cover (approximately 2:10 frequency)
• Work collaboratively with 9 other vets across the Stranraer main site and Newton Stewart branch
• Contribute to clinical discussions and continuous improvement initiatives
• Support and mentorship opportunities with experienced colleagues, including a certificate holder in Cattle Health and Production

Requirements

• Veterinary degree and RCVS registration (or eligibility for registration)
• Experience or strong interest in mixed practice (farm, small animal, equine)
• Good clinical skills in routine medical and surgical cases
• Strong communication skills and ability to build client relationships
• Proactive, adaptable, and team-focused approach

Benefits

• Salary up to £60,000 depending on experience
• Welcome bonus up to £2,000
• Relocation allowance up to £5,000
• 6.8 weeks holiday including bank holidays
• £1,250 annual Care Fund for professional development
• CPD allowance and access to IVC academy training centres and role-relevant courses
• Private medical insurance
• BVA membership, VDS cover, and RCVS fees paid
• Enhanced family leave and pay (maternity, paternity, adoption, surrogacy)
• Cycle to Work and Green Car schemes (eligibility applies)
• Reduced-cost veterinary care for your own pets
• Retail discounts and cashback offers
• Clear career pathways with progression opportunities across primary care, referral, leadership, and specialist roles
• Access to mentors, regional clinical coaches, and peer networks
• Support to develop clinical interests and expand capabilities

About the Practice

Academy Vet Centre is a well-established, RCVS-accredited mixed practice serving South West Scotland including the Rhins, Machars, and South Ayrshire. The practice combines 10 veterinary surgeons with a skilled nursing team of 3 Registered Veterinary Nurses and 3 Auxiliary Nurses, plus 5 receptionists. The team brings together experience and expert knowledge with modern, up-to-date techniques and diagnostic equipment including small and large animal ultrasound, digital radiography, bull and tup fertility kit, and IDEXX laboratory suite.

Academy Vets provides its own out-of-hours service to clients, ensuring animals are seen by one of the practice's own vets. The practice prides itself on a supportive environment that encourages professional development, including pursuit of additional qualifications such as certificates in dairy fertility and herd health.