Senior Small Animal Vet Surgeon

Small Animal Vet | Horley, Surrey | £55,000–£75,000 + 8% Pension

You've put in the years. You know your cases, you trust your instincts, and you're done asking permission to practice good medicine.

At Gayton Vets, you'll have the clinical autonomy and scope to practice high-quality medicine your way, with real ownership of your cases from start to finish - backed by our incredibly experienced RVN and VCA team who, together with you, make a seriously strong clinical partnership.

The role

This is clinical leadership of our Horley branch: sole charge day to day, with the full support of an experienced team around you. You'll run your own case list from first consult to final follow-up, build the client relationships that bring the reward to general practice, and shape how our branch grows under your direction.

You're not on your own. Our main site in Redhill is minutes away, and a second opinion, a tricky case discussion, or just another experienced vet's take is never far off.

We’re looking for someone who's genuinely comfortable holding that responsibility: you've done sole charge before, and you're ready to own it fully now.

Your working week

• 4 days (3 considered for the right candidate)
• 1 in 4 Saturday mornings, 9am–1pm, with time off in lieu
• No out-of-hours commitment
• Real case continuity - you follow your patients through, not hand them over

Your clinic

Small in footprint, strong on kit: digital X-ray, ultrasound, a fully equipped theatre, IDEXX in-house bloods, dental equipment, and two consult rooms. Visiting specialists cover imaging, medicine, ophthalmology, soft tissue surgery and orthopaedics, plus access to an outpatient CT scanner, so you get branch-level autonomy without losing the wider clinical network.

Why Gayton Vets

We care about doing things properly - good medicine, good communication and treating people and their pets well. We’re ambitious about where we’re going, but never at the expense of the close-knit, independent feel that makes us Gayton Vets. We want people who care, take ownership and support each other - and who believe good veterinary medicine should be thoughtful, thorough and compassionate.

We’ve been vet-owned for decades, and a recent change in partnership structure has specifically kept it that way. Several of our vets have stayed 10–15 years and counting. We like to hope that says something.

• £55,000–£75,000 base, plus 8% pension
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays (6 weeks with long service)
• CPD allowance up to £2,500 & 1 week for CPD, with support for clinical interests
• Professional fees paid
• Staff pet care scheme

Life beyond the practice

You're minutes from Reigate - independent shops, good coffee, better pubs - with the Surrey Hills and Box Hill on your doorstep for anyone who runs, rides or cycles. London's a short train ride when you want it, and Brighton's close enough for a coastal afternoon.

So, what’s next?

Reach out with whatever version of CV you have.  We can’t get our full story in an advert, so if there’s anything you want to know, ask Natalie, our Clinical Director.

The next few years at Gayton Vets are going to be exciting, and we’re looking for the right person to be part of it.