At this stage of your career, you know what you enjoy and just as importantly, what you don’t. At The Pet Hospital and City Vets in Waterford, we’re offering a genuinely flexible opportunity for an experienced small animal vet who is confident in first-opinion practice and ready to take on a more senior, influential clinical role. Whether you see yourself as a strong all-round GP, a surgically confident clinician, or someone who enjoys guiding and supporting others, this role can be shaped to reflect your strengths and interests.
This isn’t about squeezing you into a pre-defined box. It’s about building a role that makes sense for you and allows you to practise at a level that reflects your experience.
Whilst this role is primarily based in The Pet Hospital, this position gives you the unique opportunity to work across two very different but closely connected practices, depending on what suits you best.
The Pet Hospital is a smaller, community-focused practice with a loyal client base and a steady, varied GP caseload. It’s ideal for experienced clinicians who value continuity of care, strong client relationships, and the ability to make meaningful clinical decisions in a supportive, close-knit environment.
City Vets, our larger sister hospital, provides exposure to a broader and more complex caseload, with advanced diagnostics, surgical work and collaboration with colleagues who hold a wide range of interests and additional qualifications.
If surgery is where you thrive, we can weight the caseload accordingly and support further development. If you take pride in being an excellent, well-rounded GP, you’ll have the autonomy and case variety to continue practising at a high standard. If you have a niche interest you’d like to develop, or formalise through a certificate, we actively support and fund this. Your experience is valued here, and your interests won’t be sidelined - they’ll be encouraged.
This role is well suited to an experienced vet or aspiring lead clinician who enjoys remaining hands-on while also providing clinical guidance, support and mentorship to junior colleagues when needed. You’ll be trusted to manage cases independently, contribute to clinical standards, and act as a sounding board for less experienced vets - without the pressure of heavy management or administrative responsibility. Leadership here is about experience, approachability and good judgement, not titles or red tape.
We’re open to full-time, part-time or tailored working patterns, and we’re happy to discuss rota structures that genuinely fit your life. Whether that’s condensed hours, fewer days, predictable shifts or a balance across both practices, we’ll work with you to create something sustainable and enjoyable. Out-of-hours and weekend commitments can be discussed openly and are shared fairly, with balance always front of mind.
Across both practices, you’ll be working with experienced, approachable teams who value collaboration, mutual respect and good clinical standards – without ego or micromanagement. This is an environment where experienced clinicians are trusted to do their job well, supported when needed, and appreciated for the experience they bring to the team.
This position is suited to a VCI-registered veterinary surgeon with at least a few years’ experience in first-opinion small animal practice, who is confident in consultations and routine surgery and comfortable working with a degree of autonomy. You don’t need to have held a formal lead title before - but you should be clinically confident, reliable, and happy to take ownership of your work and support others when needed.
Waterford offers a brilliant quality of life - coastal walks, beaches, a lively food and café scene, and a strong sense of community, all with a more relaxed pace than larger cities. It’s an easy place to settle, whether you’re relocating or commuting.
In addition to a competitive salary, you’ll benefit from a comprehensive benefits package:
- Birthday Leave (paid day off on your birthday)
- Paid Maternity Leave Package
- Full access to EAP and Wellbeing Centre
- €1300 annual CPD allowance with 5 days paid CPD days pro rata
- Funding of any Certificates / Diplomas / PhD’s you may want to pursue
- Career Progression Opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical
- Care Fund – Annual contribution of €1,100 to use on a case of your choice to ensure a successful outcome with your patient
- Pawesome Benefits - reward gateway giving discounts and cashback with hundreds of retailers
- Employer Pension Contributions
- Discounted Veterinary Fees
- Opportunity to join company programmes (LGBTQ+, Wellbeing Champions, Nurses Committee, Clinical Board and many more)
If you’re an experienced vet looking for a role that recognises your competence, respects your time, and adapts to your interests: we’d love to talk.
Up to €70,000 DOE
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
