Lochaber is situated in the beautiful Scottish Highlands with excellent transport links to London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and inverness. This includes direct rail links and much improved bus links.
The area is serviced by very good schools which include Gaelic medium units and an excellent health service supported by a rural general hospital and several GP practices.
This is a rare opportunity to join a supportive and experienced team of 8 Veterinary Surgeons, 4 RVNs, 1 ACA, 1 VCA and 1 SVN. We carry a busy caseload of small animal work including general surgery and medicine. Due to our distance from referral centres, we have the opportunity to care for many acute medical conditions in house. We pride ourselves in providing excellent in-patient care. We are dedicated to the development of our nurses to lead in preventative health care, wellness, dental, nutrition and more advanced skills.
IVC Evidensia is the UK and Europe’s leading veterinary care group, made up of over 900 practices and referral hospitals, united by a shared purpose of happier animals, happier owners.
At IVC Evidensia, we believe careers should be built without limits. Our people are supported to make more clinical impact, access more career opportunities, and play an active role in their local and professional communities. Through investment in learning, innovation, and wellbeing, we create environments where our teams can grow in confidence, capability, and fulfilment—at every stage of their career.
How You’ll Make a Difference
As Head Nurse, you will provide senior clinical and professional leadership for the nursing team, overseeing all nursing aspects of the practice and supporting the delivery of high-quality patient and client care.
You’ll be responsible for setting and maintaining nursing standards, leading clinical governance and quality improvement activity, and developing a capable, confident nursing team. Working closely with the wider practice leadership team, you’ll play a key role in shaping culture, performance, and ways of working.
- Responsible for leading and managing the nursing team, setting a positive culture and maintaining high standards of professionalism and conduct.
- The role includes supporting the development of the team by organising CPD and training opportunities, monitoring staff performance, and conducting annual reviews.
- You will also organise and attend team meetings, provide clinical coaching, and ensure the nursing team works collaboratively to deliver high standards of patient care.
- Full-time, 40 hours per week.
- 1 in 6 weekend on-call rotation, along with a 1 in 6 Saturday morning shift from 08:30 to 12:30 (during on-call weekends).
You Might Be a Great Fit If…
You Are a Highly Experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse With Strong Leadership Capability And a Passion For Clinical Excellence. You’ll Bring
- Registration as a Veterinary Nurse with the RCVS
- Significant experience in clinical practice with advanced medical and surgical nursing skills
- Proven experience leading, mentoring, and developing nursing teams
- Strong understanding of clinical governance, quality improvement, and professional standards
- Excellent communication, leadership, and organisational skills
How We’ll Support You
At IVC Evidensia, We’re Committed To Supporting Your Ongoing Development And Wellbeing. When You Join Us, You’ll Benefit From
- A senior leadership role with accountability for nursing standards and team development
- Clear career pathways with progression opportunities into wider practice leadership roles
- Ongoing learning and development to support leadership, governance, and strategic growth
- A collaborative, values-led culture focused on care, learning, and continuous improvement
What We Offer Our Team
Work-life Balance
- 6.8 weeks’ annual leave
- Increasing holiday allowance based on length of service
- Additional annual leave for your birthday which is added to your allowance
Wellbeing
- Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
- Private Medical Insurance
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Employee wellbeing initiatives
- Healthcare Cash Plan
- Cycle to Work scheme
Development
- £550 CPD allowance per annum
- 24hrs paid CPD leave
- Certificate Support
- Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
- Access to Vetlexicon – our online veterinary encyclopaedia
- Research funding opportunities for Vets & Nurses
- Infection Prevention and Control Programme
- Quality Improvement Programme
Professional Memberships
- VDS cover
- RCVS fees
Additional
- Pension scheme
- Green Cars salary sacrifice scheme
- Voluntary benefits: choose from a range of benefits to suit you
- Discounted staff pet care
- Access to discounts/cashback with hundreds of participating retailers
£0 – £0 a year
Up to £34,200 pa 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.
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