Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Higham Veterinary Clinic is not your average practice. We are a beautiful boutique-style independent small animal clinic in the pretty market town of Higham Ferrers, Northants.

A few things that make us special:

• We’ve created a culture where you can focus on what you do best: we believe in not only complete clinical autonomy but autonomy over your diary, so you'll have the freedom to provide top-notch care without feeling pressured. Think enjoyable consultations, manageable diaries, and the time to appreciate being a vet again. For example, we never ever book more than one large bitch spay per day; who needs that stress? AHCs are booked for an hour-long appointment with an extra 30 minutes before the appointment to prepare. You choose if you want to squeeze that extra consult in – true autonomy.
• We believe in case continuity, so we have developed a same-vet promise. Both our clients and our team love this; it means that we are fortunate to have the most lovely, loyal clients, which is reflected in our amazing 4.9* Google and Facebook reviews = happy clients and happy vets.
• We are passionate about developing our team. Got a surgery you've been itching to try? Our wish-list system makes sure you get your chance.  The whole team keep an eye out for those cases, and we manage the diary so your wish list can come true 😊
• We have a truly stunning practice - think of a small boutique hotel rather than a veterinary practice. We designed the clinic with comfort in mind for both clients, patients and team; with separate cat and dog waiting areas, heated floors and air-conditioning throughout and all the kit you’ll need to do a great job. We also love investing, so if there is something you need, just let us know.
• On top of a great salary, we also have a very unusual bonus scheme that is not based on turnover but on what matters most. Last year, this added about £5000 to salaries.

About our team:

This role is being created because we are currently a 5-vet practice and would like to become 6.  

Charly, vet and owner, began her career working at a local practice where she flourished under the mentorship of her colleague, vet David Beiny. Although owning a clinic wasn't part of her original plan, Charly wanted to continue caring for the wonderful clients she had come to know and love after David sadly passed away, and she opened Higham Vets in 2014. Charly is absolutely passionate about taking care of her team, ensuring everyone is happy and fulfilled.

With over eight years of experience, including working in emergency care for Vets Now and completing an ECC certificate, Sam has mastered staying calm under pressure. Since joining the team in 2022, she has been instrumental in improving clinical standards.

Patricia graduated in 2017 from Madrid before moving to the UK and joining us in 2021. She enjoys both surgery and medicine and is studying for her Small Animal Medicine certificate.

Lottie completed degrees in both zoology and veterinary medicine. She is very experienced in anaesthesia and particularly enjoys imaging, which she is pursuing with further training.

We have a fantastic nursing team of 4 RVNs and 2 SVNs, and along with our brilliant receptionists, they keep everything running smoothly. We’re also a nurse training practice.

We have monthly vet and nurse meetings to catch up, chat through cases, and discuss quality improvement or any issues. We also have practice meetings every two months, where we all get together over lunch to celebrate our successes and share new ideas for improving and expanding our services. We’re all one team and work together to keep moving the practice forward.

Our future plans

Since opening, we have continually invested in the practice to improve our facilities and have exciting plans for the future. We will soon start working on an extension to house an additional consult room and have recently purchased the land for our new purpose-built practice, which we hope to complete in the next 1-2 years. Nick, our other owner, loves investing in new kit and is always looking for a good excuse to buy new toys, which is great as it means we have everything we need. There are also long-term partnership options or progression to Clinical Director as we grow.

About the role

We are ideally looking for a vet with some experience. We value everyone's work-life balance and can be flexible with the rota, so if you have other commitments to work around, we’re happy to chat about the options available. Our standard full-time rota is a 4-day week, and most of our vets choose to work two 8-7, one 8-4 and one 8-5 shifts.

Your well-being is essential; we don’t want our vets to feel burned out like many in the profession. We have time built-in to catch up on admin and make phone calls, and everyone gets a proper lunch break. We also use the Slack app for quick and easy communication within the team and with clients.

Our weekends are just 1:5 (Saturday 9-3 and Sunday 10-3), and our out-of-hours are outsourced to a local provider, who also takes care of any inpatients, so there are no OOHs or on-call. 

Outside of work

We're not just colleagues; we're friends! We love getting together outside of work and regularly enjoy a bit of friendly competition as we test our trivia knowledge at the local pub quiz. We also like to organise team days out throughout the year, which has seen us spend a day at the races, go-karting, trying our luck at the casino and being pampered at the spa. For Christmas last year, we all headed to Milton Keynes, where we put everyone up in a hotel so they could let their hair down and enjoy a night of dancing and fun without worrying about getting home at the end of the night.

Higham Ferrers is a pretty market town in the Nene Valley, surrounded by beautiful countryside and villages. There is lots to explore locally, with outdoor activities including kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding on the River Nene or nearby Rushden Lakes. It’s also just a hop away from London and Birmingham.  Luton and Birmingham Airports are just an hour away for travel further afield.

We are offering:

• A salary of £45-£60k, plus bonus (not turnover based)
• Five weeks holiday, plus bank holidays
• Holiday buyback scheme
• CPD encouraged and funded up to certificate level
• Career progression opportunities
• Relocation package
• Accommodation is available if needed in a self-contained flat separate from the practice
• Professional fees paid
• Private healthcare for you and your children
• Enhanced maternity pay and childcare support up to 3 years old

If you want to know more about us, why not give us a call and chat with our vets or apply now!