Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Northlands was established in the 1960s and has evolved into a multi-centre practice with a team of 90. We opened the doors to our brand-new state-of-the-art hospital in Kettering in September 2021, with all the modern facilities you would expect including a CT scanner. We also have 6 stand-alone branch surgeries across Northamptonshire. We are a 16-vet practice, with a large, experienced team of nurses and a dedicated out-of-hours team so there are no nights, but we are able to provide our own comprehensive 24-hour patient care.

Our amazing team of 16 vets have a range of experience from new grads to over 40 years in practice and a wide variety of interests. Hans, our hospital director, has a particular interest in both soft tissue surgery and ultrasound, and Darren holds a PG certificate in ECC and is currently undertaking a surgery certificate. Kim and Simon run our dedicated Cat & Rabbit Clinic, with their reputation gaining new clients coming from all over the country and even Europe.

We pride ourselves on being a multicultural practice, with vets from three continents working across the group. We prioritize our team and strongly encourage professional development within our friendly and collaborative environment.

“I joined the Northlands team as a new graduate. I was welcomed and made to feel a part of the team from day one. I have grown to become the vet surgeon I am thanks to their support and guidance.” Antonella MRCVS

“I have been given more opportunities to progress my career here than I have anywhere else. The support that we all have for each other is what makes this a great team to work with.” Katy

“I genuinely have nothing but good things to say about the practice, I was made to feel very welcome on my arrival here and that has not changed. I have received an unlimited amount of support from everybody including the managers, administration staff and all clinical staff alike. Regular training is provided which is ongoing and which in turn has enabled me to learn and adapt to my role very quickly. I would not hesitate to recommend Northlands as an employer.” Karen

We are growing our team and are looking for a vet ideally with some experience to join us, working mainly within the hospital, but with some rotation to the branches when needed. As an active training practice, we have three Vet GDP Advisors within the group, with another currently undertaking the training, and we would love you to get involved with mentoring our new grads and less experienced vets. We actively encourage all our vets to work up their cases to the highest standard and follow their cases through, with support available from our senior vets when required to further develop their skills.

We hold rounds twice a day so everyone can have their input and we can all learn from each other. We have regular in-house training plus ‘reset days’ three times a year. We use an evidence-based approach to continually improve our clinical standards, and we encourage open discussion, welcoming feedback on practice protocols. We also have regular one-to-ones to check how everyone is getting on and make development plans.

We have all the usual kit including digital and dental X-ray, endoscopy, ultrasound with cardiac capabilities, two theatres and our CT scanner. We have the facilities to work up and treat the majority of cases in-house and we also benefit from the expertise of an Advanced Practitioner in small animal surgery, who visits three days a week to perform complex orthopaedic and soft tissue procedures.

Our vets work a 4-day week, with a 1:8 daytime-only weekend rota (Saturday and Sunday), and a 1:8 short shift on either a Saturday or Sunday. You will get time off in lieu of the weekend worked and as we have our own dedicated team of night vets and nurses there are no out-of-hours for our day vets. We are flexible with the rota so if you would prefer to work 5 shorter days or part-time hours, we’re happy to chat about the options available. There is time throughout the day to catch up on admin, make phone calls and have a proper hours’ lunch – when you can enjoy our lovely break area.

We’re a sociable bunch who enjoy getting together outside of work for our annual Christmas party, BBQs, practice Easter egg hunt and taking part in fundraising for our selected charities. Three of our RVNs, Georgia, Jo and Sarah, recently completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – over 13 hours they took around 45,000 steps, covered 24 miles and climbed 2100 metres raising over £1000 for The Stray Animal Fund and StreetVet.

Our practice is in the heart of Kettering, a lovely market town with independent local shops, pubs and restaurants and our local Butterwick bakery, which we regularly visit. It’s on the border of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire with beautiful surrounding countryside and pretty villages. There are good road and rail connections with Cambridge, London, Nottingham, Leicester, and Derby just under an hour away. Both Birmingham and Luton airports are easily reached within an hour and Stansted is just over an hour away.

We are offering:

• Salary of £39,000 for a recent graduate who has completed their VetGDP to £100,000 for a certificate holder
• No on-call
• 6.6 weeks holiday including bank holidays
• Basic CPD allowance of £1,750 and 5 days, plus certificates encouraged, funded and supported including additional CPD days as needed
• Professional fees paid for RCVS, VDS plus one membership of your choice
• Relocation package available
• Happy to sponsor visas
• Possible temporary accommodation available during relocation
• Discounted vet fees
• My Perks – offers, discounts, and cashback on shopping, travel, entertainment, and more
• Healthshield Personal Health Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Enhanced paternity, maternity, adoption, shared parental leave, and surrogacy pay

If you are looking for career progression, in a practice with amazing facilities and a friendly, supportive team then please call us for an informal chat or just apply now!