Registered Veterinary Nurse: Team Leader (Nurture & Development)

What’s all this about?

You might not have heard about us yet – we’re the only Community Interest veterinary group in the UK. We believe that a lot of pet owners are struggling to afford veterinary care, and we know there is another way. Not-for-profit veterinary care means that, instead of maximising profits, we want to maximise the care we can provide to our patients, owners and staff. If you love your job but don’t feel like you are making a difference, Animal Trust could be the right employer for you.

That all sounds very nice, but what’s in it for me?

We definitely believe that you’ll be on our wavelength when it comes to supporting our social mission! Animal Trust is a not-for-profit veterinary company. That means that our priority always is, always will be and always has been, the health and care of the animals that we see. But here’s what else you’ll get out of working as an RVN with Animal Trust.

It is central to our strategy, especially with regards to Schedule 3, that we promote and reward technical and behavioural excellence in our registered veterinary nurses. As we specialise in our surgeries, we’re looking for Team Leaders who can support small teams in either theatre, medical, or supporting a team of new graduate and student veterinary nurses.

As a new manager, or experienced manager moving to your first not-for-profit role, you’ll have the support of managers around you and a central support team made up of our Lead Nurse, Practice Manager, Operations, HR, Facilties and Health & Safety. You’ll participate in our Management Fundamentals structured training programme which is designed to support you at every stage of your managerial journey.

You’ll be working alongside Susie, another team leader at Bolton who says: "Animal Trust is an incredible place to work and you truly feel the care that is provided to each patient. Having worked for corporate groups, I felt like a number and I missed working for a company that cared for each individual patient rather than the cost of each treatment. Animal Trust offers affordable patient care, but that doesn’t mean the patients don’t receive the best care! The Vets and Nurses go to great measures to ensure this and this shows in our incredible team here at Bolton. No matter how many patients need our help, we will all work as one great team and it is this work ethic that makes me proud to be part of Bolton Animal Trust."

We’re putting RVN-led care at the heart of patient care, with fairness and transparency a core value. If you’re looking for a job with a socially conscious, not-for-profit company - and to be rewarded fairly, you’re reading the right job description.

What else do you think I should know?

Our business model means that we see a lot of interesting cases and help animals get the care they need - but we also need to see a lot of those cases in order to maintain operating profit. You’ll probably see more emergencies than preventative care. We are constantly evaluating ways to safeguard our employees when it comes to their mental health. We offer an employee assistance programme that allows you to access mental health support from a team of specialised professionals, along with a 24/7 online GP. For most of our nursing roles, we should be able to work out a part-time solution, if that’s what works for you.

What are you looking for in me?

We’re looking for somebody who loves being a veterinary nurse. Whether you’re a newly-qualified nurse or more experienced, we provide a structured pathway for nurses who would like to eventually specialise in surgery, medicine, consulting or management. Above all, you strongly agree with our mission – and want to save pets who couldn’t otherwise access veterinary care. For some pet owners we are their only option.

Benefits

• Salary scale: £27-29K
• Applications are welcome for part-time
• UK and International CPD funded to diploma level
• Private Health Care as a salary sacrifice option
• 52 Weeks sickness benefit and free Employee assistance program — awarded after qualifying period
• Contributory pension scheme
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• Access to counselling support including mental health, financial and life counselling after qualifying period
• Cycle to work scheme
• Refer-a-Friend bonus
• Varied and challenging career
• The satisfaction of working with a not-for-profit employer

About Animal Trust

Animal Trust is open to everyone and there are no eligibility criteria for clients to meet. Our consultations are free to encourage people to come to us, they only pay for the treatment. We have a simple and transparent pricing structure, which is one less thing for our vets and nurses to worry about. It’s important for us to invest in our surgeries, and across our network we have access to expertise including in house CT scanner, advanced orthopaedics and hip replacement. Love being an RVN? #loveveterinary

Animal Trust strives to be an equal opportunities employer. This means that decisions concerning recruitment, promotion, dismissal or any other aspect of employment will be based on the needs of the business and not any assumptions based on sex, race, age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, married or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. This is an important commitment which all employees are expected to share.

Employees are encouraged to raise with management any discriminatory behaviour, assumptions or attitudes they encounter at work and are entitled to do so free from any reprisal providing they are acting in good faith or in the reasonable belief that they are acting in the public interest.