Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal Surgery Focus in Essex, Saffron Walden

We are looking for a Veterinary Surgeon – Small Animal Surgery Focus to join our team at Mercer & Hughes Veterinary Surgeons in Saffron Walden. With over 40 years of heritage and a trusted reputation across Essex, we combine high-quality veterinary care with strong community relationships and a supportive team environment. You'll be joining a well-established practice where colleagues are encouraged to develop, collaborate and deliver outstanding care to pets and their owners.

As part of Kin Vet Community, a small collective of like-minded community veterinary practices, we benefit from the support, shared expertise and collaborative approach that comes from working alongside teams who share our commitment to exceptional veterinary care. Whilst every practice retains its own culture, leadership and way of working, being part of Kin Vet creates greater opportunities to learn from one another, invest in our people and facilities, and continue evolving the services we provide to pets and their owners.

Salary: £60,000–£65,000 DOE, Up to £70,000 for certificate holders

The Opportunity

Mercer & Hughes are looking for an experienced Veterinary Surgeon with a strong interest in small animal surgery to join our team across Saffron Walden Hospital and Great Dunmow. This is an exciting opportunity for a vet who enjoys surgery and wants to continue developing their skills within a supportive hospital environment, while still enjoying the variety and client connection that comes with first opinion practice. You’ll be joining an experienced clinical team with access to excellent facilities, a varied caseload and colleagues who are passionate about delivering high standards of care. This role is surgery-focused but not surgery-exclusive, giving you the opportunity to combine operating with consulting, diagnostics and managing your own cases.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Performing routine soft tissue surgery
• Consulting and building strong client relationships
• Working up medical and surgical cases
• Supporting hospital patients and more complex cases
• Collaborating closely with experienced vets and nursing teams
• Sharing knowledge and contributing to the continued development of the practice
• Participating in the weekend rota

Clinical Environment

At Mercer & Hughes, you’ll benefit from working with:

• Orthopaedic referral cases
• Endoscopy
• High-end ultrasound
• Advanced inpatient care
• A supportive and experienced clinical team
• Opportunities to further develop your surgical interests

Certificate holders are welcomed, and support towards future certificate development may be available subject to business approval.

We're Looking For Someone Who Is:

• An experienced small animal Veterinary Surgeon
• Confident with routine surgical procedures
• Passionate about developing their surgical skills
• Comfortable consulting as well as operating
• A collaborative team player who enjoys working alongside nurses and colleagues
• Flexible and adaptable across different clinical environments
• Approachable and committed to providing excellent patient care

Hours:

• Full-time position
• Four-day working week
• Three days based at Saffron Walden Hospital
• One day based at Great Dunmow
• Weekend rota participation

If you’re looking for a role where you can develop your surgical interests, work with an experienced team and enjoy the variety of first opinion practice alongside hospital-level cases, we’d love to hear from you. For more information or an informal chat please contact Louise on Louise.chandler@kinvet.co.uk