Practice Owner – Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

About the Role

You’re an experienced vet with a dream of running your own practice. Vets for Pets (trading as Ashby-de-la-Zouch Vets) has created a unique ownership model designed to make that dream achievable. This is a full-time, permanent position as the practice owner of a newly established small animal clinic launching in Ashby de la Zouch—a charming market town in Leicestershire with excellent access to Leicester, Birmingham, and Nottingham.

You’ll have genuine clinical and operational autonomy to shape your own clinical journey, client relationships, and team culture. Unlike corporate employment, this is truly your practice, driven by your ambition and your values. From day one, you’ll take a salary from your practice income, allowing you to focus on clinical excellence while your business grows.

The practice will be purpose-fitted within an established Pet Care Centre, positioning you perfectly to attract new clients from day one. Projected opening is within approximately nine months.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all clinical operations of your own small animal practice
• Build and nurture your own team culture and client relationships
• Make independent clinical and surgical decisions without corporate protocol constraints
• Drive practice growth and profitability from launch
• Manage business operations with support from dedicated HR, IT, marketing, and finance teams
• Work within the revenue-sharing partnership model (based on net turnover, never profit)

Requirements

• Qualified veterinary surgeon (MRCVS) with significant experience
• Entrepreneurial mindset and genuine ambition to own a practice
• Small animal clinical expertise
• Business acumen or willingness to develop it with support

Benefits

• Competitive salary taken from day one, allowing focus on practice growth
• Comprehensive pension, life cover, and income protection insurance
• Generous 28-day annual holiday allowance
• 100% ownership of future profits once loans are repaid
• Twice-yearly dividend payments after loan repayment
• Full equity in practice asset value and goodwill
• Expert business support: dedicated teams for HR, IT, marketing, payroll, and financial management
• Recruitment support to build your team
• Flexible investment model: £20,000 minimum investment (split among co-owners if partnering), with two-year repayment holiday on borrowed capital
• Partnership with secured banking partners for financing
• Insurance cover for locum fees during unexpected circumstances
• Marketing and brand recognition support
• Community of fellow practice owners for peer support and networking
• 100% of goodwill and asset value upon exit, with partnership support for practice sale

About the Practice

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Vets is a brand-new small animal practice launching as part of the Vets for Pets ownership model. The purpose-built clinic will feature three consult rooms, a dedicated prep area and theatre, X-ray and laboratory facilities, separate cat and dog wards with distinct waiting areas, an isolation ward, office space, and a fully branded reception area. The practice will be located within an established Pet Care Centre, ensuring immediate visibility and a ready stream of potential clients from the local community.

The practice operates under the Vets for Pets model, which provides expert guidance, brand recognition, and comprehensive business support while preserving your clinical independence and operational freedom. Unlike traditional corporate veterinary employment, you retain full clinical decision-making authority and benefit directly from your practice’s success through profit ownership and asset appreciation.