Lead Veterinary Surgeon

A well-established and proudly independent small animal practice near Guildford is seeking a confident and experienced Veterinary Surgeon to join their friendly, supportive team. This is an excellent opportunity for a Vet who thrives in a collaborative environment, enjoys both consulting and surgery, and wants genuine scope for progression — including future partnership opportunities.

Salary from £65,000+

The exact salary within this banding will be awarded commensurate on experience.

Location: Near Guildford, Surrey

The Role

• Full-time: 4 days per week (fixed day off, likely Thursday).
• Part-time considered for the right candidate.
• 1 in 3 Saturdays, 8am–12pm, no Sundays or bank holidays.
• No OOH – outsourced to VetsNow.
• 15-minute consults as standard.
• Typical caseload: 40–50 consults daily across 2–3 vets, plus 3–5 surgeries.
• Senior role: mentoring junior vets, supporting clinical decisions, and leading by example.
• Balanced caseload: consults, surgery (routine and visiting specialist procedures), diagnostics, and admin.

Candidate Requirements

• Experienced and competent small animal veterinary surgeon.
• Confident in both consulting and operating.
• A natural mentor who enjoys supporting younger colleagues.
• A flexible team player with excellent communication skills.
• Someone who values the independence of a non-corporate practice.
• Open to long-term development — with potential partnership opportunities.

Practice Overview

• Independently owned and proudly local.
• Facilities: 3 consult rooms, sterile theatre, prep area, dedicated dental room, x-ray suite.
• Equipment: digital x-rays (including dental), ultrasound, endoscopy, in-house labs, full sterile surgical kits.
• Caseload: routine neutering, dentals, lump removals, plus visiting specialist for advanced procedures twice a month.
• Clients: loyal, insured and committed to excellent care.
• Support: strong and highly experienced nursing team.

Benefits

• Salary from £65,000+ DOE.
• Flexible CPD allowance with full certificate support.
• Partnership potential for the right candidate.
• Work/life balance: 4-day week, no OOH, no bank holidays.
• Loyal client base and a genuinely supportive team.

Next steps
For further details on this exceptional role, please click the Apply Now button. If you can specify the best time to talk, please do; we will get in touch when it suits you best. You will then be contacted by one of our specialist consultants, who will provide you with further details about the role.

If you would like to talk ahead of sending us your CV, please give us a call on (phone number removed)

Please note, any contact is in the strictest confidence and we will not send your details to any practice without your expressed consent to do so.

Is this role almost right for you, but not quite ticking all the boxes? If so, we have many other roles available and also offer a Bespoke Job Search Service where we work proactively to find you your perfect job.

We have been named as the Recruitment Firm of the year at the HealthInvestor Awards, Winners of the Professional Service Provider of the Year at the General Practice Awards, Winners of the Recruitment Award at the LaingBuisson Awards and named on the Recruiter Hot100 list, so in dealing with us you’ll be in safe hands!

For every placement we make, Menlo Park plants two trees! We plant one on your behalf and the other on the surgery’s behalf. By planting two trees we offset 0.6 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of driving 1,466 miles in a standard car. We want to contribute towards helping save the planet!