Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal in Cheltenham

At Dragon Vets, we’re seeking a Veterinary Surgeon to join our group, which is composed of one main hospital and four satellite branches. We promote growth and development within the team, with access to a large client base, a fantastic range of equipment, generous CPD and a supportive team. This role would require you to work under sole charge, and you’d need to be confident working under those conditions. The role involves working at our main hospital once per week and covering shifts at our other branches. A consults-only position can be accommodated if preferred. We’re offering a welcome bonus of up to £5,000 (pro rata) and up to £5,000 for relocation.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so work-life balance is vital in supporting our people to be their best selves. We’re happy to offer flexibility to both part- and full-time applications. A typical full-time role involves working an average of 37 hours per week over 4 days. You’ll be required to work 1:4 Saturday mornings. No out-of-hours or on-call required.

Located in the heart of Cheltenham, renowned for horse racing and a thriving bar/restaurant scene, Dragon Vets is an established practice and has invested in specialist equipment including CT, DR, rigid/flexible endoscopy, high-end Doppler ultrasonography and well-equipped operating facilities including laparoscopic kits and TPLO kits, and much more.

We have a team of 16 vets, including certificate holders with advanced practitioner status in small animal surgery, cardiology, and medicine, and value evidence-based medicine with regular clinical discussions and readily available colleague support. We function as more than a first-opinion practice, often performing complex surgeries and treating intensive medical cases that may otherwise have been referred. Having been established for decades, we have a huge client base which comes with lots of variety in caseload. We have a dedicated, separate out-of-hours team – Vets Now – based within the same building, enabling 24-hour care. Our nursing team is made up of 17 RVNS and 4 SVNs in various stages of their training.

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our people, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive base salary, you will benefit from:

• Work-life balance
• 6.6 weeks annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays
• Additional holiday entitlement for your birthday
• Wellbeing
• Private Medical Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential helpline
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Initiatives focused on colleague wellbeing
• Development
• £1,250 CPD allowance with 40 hours paid CPD leave pro rata
• Certificate support
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Access to Vetlexicon – our online encyclopaedia provider
• All our Vets & Nurses can apply for research funding
• All our Vets get £1,250 per annum to spend via our Care Fund
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme
• Quality Improvement Programme
• Professional Memberships
• BVA membership
• VDS cover
• RCVS fees
• Colleague Benefits
• Company pension scheme. IVC Evidensia will make a contribution as well
• Supporting a greener commute to work with a Cycle to Work scheme and Green Cars Scheme, subject to eligibility criteria
• Voluntary benefits: we give you the flexibility to choose from a range of voluntary benefits to suit you
• Access to discounts/cashback with hundreds of participating retailers
• Discounted treatment for your own pets at an IVC Evidensia practice

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Up to £70,000 (DOE)