Veterinary Surgeon

Job Title: Lead Veterinary Surgeon
Location: Basildon, Essex
Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week), 1:4 Saturday clinics, no OOH or bank holidays
Practice: Cherrydown Vets, part of Linnaeus
Salary: Up to £60,000 DOE per annum

£5,000 welcome bonus for direct candidates

Cherrydown Vets is looking for an experienced Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon to join its hospital-based team in Basildon. We're particularly keen to hear from vets with a passion for surgery who enjoy a varied first-opinion caseload and want to continue developing their clinical interests. With two operating theatres, a dedicated dental room and a collaborative team that encourages clinical development, this is an opportunity to build on your experience in a supportive environment.

Why join us?

- A four-day working week: Enjoy 40 hours across four days, with 1:4 Saturday clinics and no out-of-hours or bank holiday commitments.
- A strong surgical focus: Make the most of a varied first-opinion caseload and dedicated operating facilities, with opportunities to develop your surgical interests.
- Facilities to support your clinical work: Two operating theatres, a dedicated dental room, digital X-ray, ultrasound and endoscopy facilities.
- Develop your clinical interests: Surgery and dentistry are particular areas of interest for the practice, with certificate development and further learning encouraged and supported.
- A collaborative team: Work alongside experienced clinical colleagues who value sharing knowledge, supporting one another and improving patient care.
- A voice in clinical development: Join a practice where ideas are welcomed and colleagues are encouraged to contribute to improvements in clinical procedures and patient standards.
- A focus on wellbeing: Cherrydown continues to develop its approach to staff recognition, mental health and menopause support.

The practice and team

Cherrydown Vets is an established small animal veterinary practice with a history spanning more than 60 years. Its Basildon hospital is the central site for the wider Cherrydown group, which also has practices in Stanford-le-Hope and Wickford. The team provides primary care alongside orthopaedic referral work, offering a varied clinical environment and a broad range of cases.

You'll be joining a team of five vets, working alongside an experienced nursing and patient care team. Collaboration is central to how the practice operates, with colleagues encouraged to share ideas, contribute to clinical improvements and support one another in delivering high standards of patient care.

The Basildon hospital has two operating theatres and a dedicated dental room, alongside digital X-ray, ultrasound and endoscopy facilities. There is a particular opportunity for someone who enjoys surgery and wants to make this an important part of their clinical work. The team has existing experience in laparoscopy and endoscopy, providing opportunities to share knowledge and build on the clinical skills already within the practice.

Dentistry is another area Cherrydown would be keen to develop, so an interest in expanding your experience in this area would be particularly welcome. More broadly, the practice encourages vets to pursue their clinical interests, with certificate development supported. You don't need to hold a certificate to be considered; enthusiasm, experience and a willingness to keep learning are what matter.

Cherrydown has a collaborative, no-blame culture built around open conversations and continuous improvement. The nursing team plays an important role in shaping how the practice works, with ideas actively encouraged and changes implemented to improve patient care and clinical standards.

This is reflected in the practice achieving cat-friendly status, driven by the dedication and initiative of two of its nurses. The team is also exploring the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund's rabbit-friendly award, continuing its commitment to improving the experience of patients and their owners.

Cherrydown's vision is to be recognised as an exceptional and trusted provider of primary veterinary care to the communities it serves, with a commitment to every patient, every client, every visit.

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Basildon offers a convenient balance of town living, green spaces and easy access to the wider Essex area. With direct rail connections into London, it's a practical location for anyone wanting access to the capital while enjoying more space and countryside nearby. For time outside work, Wat Tyler Country Park offers extensive walking routes, wildlife and historic features, while Langdon Hills Country Park provides woodland trails and beautiful views across the surrounding countryside. Barleylands Farm Park and Craft Village is another popular local attraction, and the nearby Essex coastline offers plenty of opportunities for days out.

Who we're looking for

We're looking for an experienced Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon who enjoys first-opinion practice and has a particular passion for surgery. You'll be confident across general medicine and surgery, with sound clinical judgement and an enthusiasm for delivering high-quality patient care.

An interest in dentistry would be especially welcome, as this is an area the practice would like to develop further. You don't need to hold a certificate, but an interest in further learning, sharing knowledge and progressing your clinical skills is important.

Above all, we're looking for someone who enjoys working collaboratively, takes pride in their clinical work and wants to make a positive contribution to the team.

Benefits include

- 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays and Birthday Leave
- RCVS and VDS fees paid
- External CPD funded
- Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD program
- Career progression opportunities
- Staff discount schemes
- Life Assurance
- Enhanced sickness pay
- Enhanced equal family leave
- E-car salary sacrifice scheme
- Employer contribution pension scheme
- Wellness program including:
- Employee assistance program
- Eyecare voucher scheme
- Free annual Flu jab
- Cycle to work scheme

Cherrydown is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family-owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned, we can truly be driven by our purpose, to create a better world, and think long-term as opposed to being focused solely on short-term profits.

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. Our Associates are over 6000 strong and empowered to speak up, step up and deliver quality services. You’ll have access to a huge network of specialists, worldwide development opportunities and an easily accessible, comprehensive wellbeing package that prioritises your physical and mental health, allowing you to focus on what you do best – care for pets.

We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse, we care about you and want you to be authentic, with everything you need to perform at your best. We are all individual but two important things bring us together: a commitment to excellence and our passion to achieve our purpose.

If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with Joanne in the recruitment team  [email protected]

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Salary Value:£60,000 per annum;

Salary Description:Up to and dependent on experience;

£5000 welcome bonus