Head Veterinary Nurse

About the Role

This Head Veterinary Nurse role is based in Northampton and combines hands-on clinical work with team leadership and day-to-day clinic management. You will be leading a large team of vet nurses and clinical support staff in a well-established emergency clinic, while also spending dedicated time on management duties and meetings.

The rota is full time at 40 hours per week. Clinical shifts include weeknights, 1:2 weekends and bank holidays, with night shifts from 19:00 to 09:00, Saturday day shifts from 12:00 to 19:30, and Sunday day shifts from 08:30 to 19:30.

The clinic provides emergency care without appointments and holds RCVS Small Animal Emergency Service Clinic accreditation. It has been delivering local emergency care since 2005.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a large team of vet nurses and clinical support staff.
• Support patient care during clinical shifts in the emergency clinic.
• Manage day-to-day operational and financial activity within the clinic.
• Oversee rota planning and gap management.
• Maintain relationships with host practices through regular communication.
• Take responsibility for clinical equipment quality control.
• Handle team and welfare management, including mentoring, support, appraisals, performance and return-to-work tasks.

Requirements

• At least two years of experience in an out of hours and critical care environment.
• Proven experience of managing others, preferably in a veterinary setting.
• Demonstrable experience of managing performance.
• A motivation to maintain high clinic standards.
• A passion for caring for clients and their pets.

Benefits

• Salary up to £40,000 DOE.
• Private medical insurance.
• Enhanced sick pay and maternity pay.
• 7 weeks annual leave.
• Your birthday as a paid day off.
• £1,125 CPD allowance plus 20 paid hours.
• RCVS fees paid.
• ECC certificate support and access to professional qualifications, including the widely recognised ECC certificate.
• Reward Gateway discounts and cashback with hundreds of retailers.
• UK Standard Pension contributions of 5% employee and 3% employer.
• Up to 50% discounted staff pet care.
• Death in service cover of two times annual salary.

About the Practice

Vets Now is the UK’s leading provider of emergency pet care, supporting over 1,700 veterinary practices through more than 60 dedicated out of hours clinics and two 24/7 pet emergency hospitals.

Vets Now Northampton has been providing local emergency care since 2005 and holds RCVS Small Animal Emergency Service Clinic accreditation. The clinic treats emergency and critical care cases without appointments.