Veterinary Surgeon

About the Role

You’ll be stepping into a covering role at Harrow, a compact yet fully equipped first opinion practice situated on a bustling high street in northwest London. This is a fixed-term 8-month position offering real autonomy within a supported environment – you’ll work as sole charge during the day while an experienced team handles any escalation needs.

The role is structured as a full-time 4-day week (40 hours), with a manageable 1:3 Saturday branch rota and 1:8 Sunday hospital rotation, plus one bank holiday shift at Mandeville Hospital. Importantly, there are no on-call requirements – your time off stays yours. You’ll benefit from a dedicated nursing team, a regional manager, and a regional head vet who are all on hand for clinical support.

Harrow’s location is excellent for commuting: local train stations (Harrow & Wealdstone on the Bakerloo line) are a 20-minute walk away, and there’s ample free parking on the side street. The high street offers plenty of dining options nearby.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day consultations and routine surgeries as sole charge vet at Harrow branch
• Conduct first opinion small animal examinations and treatments
• Perform routine surgical procedures within first opinion scope
• Utilise practice equipment including dental X-ray and multi-parameter monitoring
• Refer complex cases to Mandeville Hospital (on-site referral support available)
• Contribute to Saturday branch and Sunday hospital rota commitments
• Work collaboratively with the nursing team and regional clinical leadership

Requirements

• Fully qualified veterinary surgeon (UK registration or equivalent)
• Competence in sole charge practice management
• Small animal first opinion experience
• Professional approach to patient and client communication
• Willingness to engage with a supportive clinical team structure

Benefits

• Salary: £60,000–£75,000 per annum (fixed-term 8-month role, depending on experience)
• 6.6 weeks annual leave including bank holidays
• Paid 30-minute lunch breaks
• CPD budget of up to £2,000 per annum plus 5 days’ paid CPD leave
• Private Medical Insurance with Bupa
• Generous relocation assistance where applicable
• Professional membership fees covered
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme
• Medical cashback plan (covers dental, physiotherapy, optician, chiropractic, etc.)
• Colleague introduction reward scheme
• Shopping discounts and generous colleague discounts
• 20% Petplan colleague discount
• Wellness plans provided for new starters

About the Practice

Harrow is part of Goddard Veterinary Group, a well-established multi-site organisation with 46 branches, three hospitals, and its own nurse training college. The practice is compact but fully equipped for first opinion work, with dental X-ray and multi-parameter diagnostics on site. Clinical support is provided by Goddard Mandeville Veterinary Hospital in Northolt, which houses state-of-the-art facilities including a new CT scanner, a diploma holder in imaging, strong medical team, and surgeons experienced in advanced orthopaedic, soft tissue, and minimally invasive procedures.

Goddard’s culture emphasises colleague wellbeing and collaborative decision-making – the group runs monthly Town Hall meetings with board-level Q&As, maintains a Colleague Forum, and ensures all senior managers are mental health first aid trained.