Lead Veterinary Surgeon - Gateshead


Company:	Purosearch
Salary:	£60,000 to £90,000 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	GATESHEAD
Working pattern:	On-site
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	15 Sept 2026
Closing date:	15 Oct 2026

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Summary

Lead Veterinary Surgeon – Gateshead

Salary: Up to £90,000 DOE + £10,000 Recognition Bonus

Full-time | 40 hours per week | ECC | Leadership role

Why Join?

•

Lead a busy, established emergency and critical care clinic in Gateshead

•

Up to £90,000 DOE + £10,000 recognition bonus

•

£1,875 CPD allowance + 35 hours paid CPD

•

RCVS fees, VDS cover and VECCS membership

•

Leadership development, private medical insurance and 50% discounted pet care

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity is available for an experienced

Lead Veterinary Surgeon to join the Gateshead team and play a key role in delivering outstanding

emergency and critical care (ECC).

This is one of the region’s busiest and most established clinics, operating from a host practice and managing a varied, high-volume emergency caseload. The role would suit a confident ECC clinician who is ready to take the next step into veterinary leadership while remaining clinically involved.

The Lead Vet will help shape clinical standards, support team development and champion continuous improvement across the clinic. They will lead by example during emergency cases while providing mentorship, guidance and support to fellow veterinary surgeons.

What Will They Be Doing?

• Leading and maintaining high standards of clinical care

• Supporting the training, development and wellbeing of the veterinary team

• Mentoring colleagues and identifying opportunities for clinical progression

• Driving service improvement and clinical innovation

• Remaining hands-on with a varied emergency and critical care caseload

• Working collaboratively with the wider Vets Now network and referral centres

The Rota

The role averages

40 hours per week and includes:

• Weekday nights and

1:2 weekends, shared between nights and daytime shifts

• Night shifts:

18:00–09:00

• Saturday day:

12:00–18:30

• Sunday day:

08:30–18:30

• Shared bank holiday cover

•

Maximum of three consecutive nights

• Protected time for leadership duties and meetings

Part-time hours may also be considered, depending on clinic requirements.

Benefits

• Up to

£90,000 salary DOE + £10,000 recognition bonus

• Seven weeks' annual leave pro rata

•

£1,875 CPD allowance + 35 paid CPD hours, pro rata

• RCVS fees, VDS cover and VECCS membership

• Private medical insurance

• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

• Leadership Development Programme

• 5% employee / 3% employer pension contributions

• Up to 50% discounted veterinary care

The Team

The Lead Vet will work alongside a

Registered Veterinary Nurse, Animal Care Assistant and Receptionist, with additional clinical support available across the wider network of Vets Now clinics and referral centres.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious

ECC Veterinary Surgeon, Lead Vet or experienced Emergency Vet looking to combine hands-on clinical work with genuine leadership responsibility in a busy, supportive environment.

For more information or for a confidential chat, please contact Lily on 01904 570056 or email

l.radford@purovets.com

You can also WhatsApp us at

WhatsApp - Purovets and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about our great opportunities.

To view all our vacancies, please visit

https://purovets.com/veterinary-jobs/

And don't forget, if this position is of no interest to you but you know someone who may be interested, please pass on our details. We offer £250* for every successful candidate referral. *Terms and conditions apply.

Ref no: JOB-59616

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