Small Animal ECC Night Vet

About the Role

This is a rare opportunity to join a brand-new, independent veterinary hospital at its foundational phase – not as a late arrival, but as a core team member helping to shape its clinical direction, standards, and culture from day one. You’ll be joining Rugby Vets’ dedicated night team, with flexibility around your rota pattern (such as 5-on, 10-off) tailored to your lifestyle. The hospital is being built with both clinical excellence and team wellbeing at its heart, featuring spacious prep and theatre areas, a dedicated imaging suite, and comfortable staff rest areas.

You’ll work alongside experienced RVNs and fellow vets in a thriving market with significant growth potential. As the only practice in the area offering true 24/7 care including overnight hospitalisation and advanced diagnostics, you’ll encounter a diverse, challenging caseload from day one. This is a genuine opportunity to help set standards, influence how the practice operates, and develop clear pathways into clinical leadership or advanced roles as the hospital expands.

The practice is committed to a dedicated out-of-hours and night team from the outset, ensuring seamless patient handovers and consistently high standards. You’ll have your voice heard on protocols, patient care pathways, and the day-to-day running of the clinic – something genuinely rare in most roles.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver night-time emergency and critical care services, managing both medical and surgical cases independently and confidently
• Support junior colleagues and mentees when needed, helping to embed high clinical standards across the team
• Contribute to the development of protocols and patient care pathways, actively shaping how the hospital operates
• Work collaboratively with the day team to ensure seamless handovers and continuity of care for hospitalised patients
• Support the hospital’s growth by building relationships with referring practices and the local community
• Uphold clinical excellence and contribute to the advancement of diagnostics and surgical capabilities (including CT, DR X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, laparoscopy, and in-house Idexx lab)

Requirements

• Registered veterinary surgeon with the RCVS and a strong foundation in general practice and ECC
• Postgraduate certificate holder, or actively working towards one, or keen to start a certificate programme
• Confident managing medical and surgical cases independently and supporting junior colleagues
• Genuine commitment to clinical excellence, ongoing professional development, and outstanding patient and client care
• Passionate about collaborative working and being part of building something new and exceptional
• Prepared to bring your ideas, initiative, and leadership to help shape an independent hospital

Benefits

• Salary up to £85,000 depending on experience and rota patterns
• Flexible working patterns, including 5-on, 10-off rotas or tailored options to suit your lifestyle
• Profit share scheme from day one, recognising everyone’s contribution to practice success
• Partnership share opportunities for successful candidates contributing to practice growth
• Certificate support fully funded with dedicated CPD budgets
• Professional fees covered: RCVS, VDS, BVA, and relevant specialist memberships
• Wellbeing prioritised: dedicated staff rest areas and sleep breaks where possible
• Clear development pathways into clinical leadership and advanced roles as the practice expands
• Potential relocation package available for the right candidate
• Your voice counts – genuine input into protocols, patient care, and how the practice operates

About the Practice

Rugby Vets is an independent veterinary hospital opening in the heart of Rugby, Warwickshire. Designed from the ground up to deliver clinical excellence and support team wellbeing, the hospital will be the only practice in the area offering 24/7 care including overnight hospitalisation and advanced diagnostic services. The facility is equipped with cutting-edge technology including a CT scanner, DR X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, laparoscopy, and in-house Idexx laboratory – capabilities you’d typically expect from a referral-level facility.

The practice is founded on a commitment to building things the right way: with experienced clinicians shaping standards from day one, a dedicated out-of-hours and night team in place from the outset, and a culture where every team member is valued, supported, and rewarded. Leadership is genuinely interested in your professional growth and your ideas about how the hospital should operate.