Veterinary Surgeon - Small Animal

Salary up to £65,000 DOE, Relocation Allowance up to £4,000 and Welcome Bonus up to £3,000

Ark House Vets, based in the beautiful market town of Leighton Buzzard, is looking for a confident and friendly Veterinary Surgeon to join our supportive team. If you enjoy a varied caseload, a close-knit practice culture and a role where your skills are genuinely valued, this could be the perfect next step.

Our patients include cats, dogs, rabbits, small furries and the occasional exotic or wildlife case brought in by our community-minded clients. We offer a great balance between consults and surgeries, with procedures typically including routine spays, castrates, lumpectomies, dentals and ECC work when required. We benefit from a wealth of in‑house experience but also maintain excellent relationships with local practices to refer cases when appropriate.

You’ll have access to everything you’d expect from a modern first‑opinion practice, including X‑ray, dental X‑ray, ultrasound and a flexible endoscope. We’re looking for a vet who is confident in surgery and comfortable working sole charge when needed, supported by a capable, experienced nursing team.

Our single‑site practice sits within a converted house right in the town centre and is currently undergoing a renovation to give it a fresh new feel. Inside, you’ll find a spacious reception area, four consult rooms including a dedicated RVN room and another with a moveable wall for added flexibility. The practice benefits from a well‑organised dispensary behind reception, prep area, theatre, separate cat and dog wards, a dedicated dental suite with dental X‑ray, an X‑ray room, and a lab equipped with a full IDEXX suite and a new microscope.

There are also quiet office spaces for admin and a comfortable staff area with kitchen facilities, tea and coffee, weekly fruit deliveries and a good supply of snacks. On‑site parking makes life that little bit easier too.

Our full‑time rota consists of four nine‑hour days from Monday to Friday, with a 1 in 4 Saturday morning which runs from 8:30 until 1 and is sole charge. There is no out‑of‑hours work, allowing you to enjoy a predictable and healthy work‑life balance.

You’ll be joining a friendly team of two vets, seven RVNs and a client care team of five including our Practice Manager. We also have visiting specialists in cardiology, diagnostics, soft tissue surgery and orthopaedics, with opportunities for mentoring and learning new techniques. If you’re considering working towards a certificate, we’re more than happy to discuss how we can support you.

We’re also proud to give back by supporting charities such as Cats Protection and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Leighton Buzzard offers the best of both worlds, a peaceful Bedfordshire market town with beautiful countryside, riverside walks and a strong community spirit, while also boasting excellent transport links into London, Milton Keynes and beyond. The town centre is full of shops, cosy cafés and local markets, and the surrounding area offers stunning green spaces including Rushmere Country Park and the Chilterns.

• Work‑life balance
• 6.6 weeks annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays
• Additional holiday entitlement for your birthday
• Wellbeing
• Private Medical Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential helpline
• Enhanced family‑friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Initiatives focused on colleague wellbeing
• Development
• £1,250 CPD allowance with 40 hours paid CPD leave
• Certificate support
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Access to Vetlexicon – our online encyclopaedia provider
• All our Vets & Nurses can apply for research funding
• All our Vets get £1,250 per annum to spend via our Care Fund
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme
• Quality Improvement Programme
• Professional Memberships
• BVA membership
• VDS cover
• RCVS Fees
• Colleague Benefits
• Company pension scheme. IVC Evidensia will make a contribution as well
• Supporting a greener commute to work with a Cycle to Work scheme and Green Cars Scheme, subject to eligibility criteria
• Voluntary benefits: we give you the flexibility to choose from a range of voluntary benefits to suit you
• Access to discounts/cashback with hundreds of participating retailers
• Discounted treatment for your own pets at an IVC Evidensia practice