Lead Veterinary Surgeon

About the Role

This is a full-time permanent opportunity for an experienced veterinary surgeon to step into a lead clinical role at Medivet Three Bridges, a community small animal practice located in a family-friendly residential area near Crawley town centre. You'll lead a dedicated team of four vets and nursing staff, mentoring junior colleagues and shaping the clinical direction of the branch.

Three Bridges is walkable and community-focused, with convenient access to local amenities, green spaces including Goffs Park and Tilgate Park, and easy commuting to Brighton, London, and Gatwick Airport. The practice is well equipped for routine small animal work, with proximity to the Faygate 24-hour flagship hospital for advanced cases.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the veterinary team, mentoring a 2-year-qualified vet, head nurse, 2 RVNs, and 2 SVNs, with clear development plans in place
• Manage all client consultations and procedures, ensuring exceptional care delivery and accurate patient records
• Take clinical accountability for patient care, admissions, discharges, and prescribing
• Handle client communications and complaints, providing updates on patient care and wellbeing
• Coordinate clinical workflow and handovers, including referrals to out-of-hours or enhanced care facilities
• Work closely with the Practice Manager to drive commercial performance through KPIs, appointments, and effective resource utilization
• Ensure compliance with all RCVS regulatory standards, health and safety requirements, and practice protocols
• Deliver clinical communications to the team, share best practice, and hold engaging clinical meetings
• Prepare estimates and manage client payments and debt

Requirements

• RCVS registered veterinary surgeon
• Ideally 5+ years UK veterinary experience
• Demonstrated clinical leadership skills and experience mentoring junior colleagues
• Proven ability to deliver exceptional clinical care and understand its impact on client experience
• Knowledge of driving commercial performance through clinical activity and KPI management
• Strong coaching and influencing skills
• Excellent time management and collaborative approach to team leadership
• Ability to work effectively as part of a small team and take on flexible duties as required

Benefits

• Full-time permanent position
• Salary: £75,000 FTE per annum, depending on experience
• Leadership role with clinical autonomy and real impact on practice culture and standards
• Access to a wider Medivet community for clinical best practice sharing
• Mentorship and development support as part of a professional veterinary group

About the Practice

Medivet Three Bridges is part of Medivet, a multi-branch small animal and mixed practice group. The Three Bridges clinic is a community-focused branch serving the local area with general small animal and exotic care, equipped with standard facilities expected in a community practice. The team works collaboratively to deliver high standards of care, and the branch benefits from proximity to Medivet's Faygate 24-hour hospital for specialist referrals and out-of-hours care.