Veterinary Surgeon (3457)

Do you want to help create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in creating a better world for every animal. 

We are looking for a new team member as a Vet Surgeon to join us at our Felledge Animal Centre in Chester-le-Street, County Durham. The vet team at the centre consists of one Vet and one Vet Nurse.

• Working hours: 35 hours / Mon - Friday (no overnight, weekend or bank holiday shifts)
• Onsite role: Felledge Animal Centre with some offsite work. 
• This is not your average Vet job - so, what's different about it? We focus on animal welfare and can offer great hours (shifts are 8:30am - 4:30pm with an hour for lunch). So, if you are looking for some flexibility to fit in with your home-life this could be the right fit for you.

Here at RSPCA no two days are the same, but, we've added a short summary of what a typical day might look like. For full insight please refer to the attached job description. 

Our expert team at Felledge Animal Centre provide life saving veterinary care to animals rescued by RSPCA frontline officers. They also provide vital support to rescued animals being cared for at RSPCA centre.Unlike private veterinary practices, our focus is exclusively on rescued, stray, neglected, and abused animals rather than owned pets.

In this rewarding and varied role, you will oversee the treatment and rehabilitation of injured, ill, and vulnerable animals, demonstrating clinical competence across a broad range of veterinary disciplines. Your responsibilities will include:

• Neutering and other soft tissue surgery
• Shelter medicine
• Some sole charge
• Participating in off site work when required at Private Boarding Establishments in the North East
• Dentistry
• Implementing RSPCA policies in regards to the re-homability of animals including decision making on individual cases
• Welfare support work for the RSPCA Inspectorate

• Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Interest or previous experience in shelter medicine
• A pragmatic, welfare oriented approach
• Happy to handle dogs, cats, small furries and possibly bird and wildlife initial triage (although not expected to be an expert on wildlife)
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to work autonomously and make informed decisions
• Great communication skills 
• In line with above you will have the ability to explain complex clinical and welfare decisions in a clear and compassionate way to a variety of non-clinical staff, including the animal centre teams and Inspectorate
• A driver's license is essential for this position due to travel required across the region.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles may need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK  as we are unable to sponsor visas.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our purpose is to inspire everyone to create a better world for animals. We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our purpose.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our team.

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.