Veterinary Surgeon

We have been saving animals for almost 200 years. We were founded in a London coffee shop in 1824. The men present knew they were creating the world's first animal welfare charity, but they couldn't have imagined the size and shape that the charity would become today.

Back then, we were the SPCA - Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Royal patronage followed in 1837, and Queen Victoria gave permission to add the royal R in 1840, making us the RSPCA as we're known worldwide today.

Organisation Aims and Mission

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our mission is to ensure animals have a good life by rescuing and caring for those in need, by advocating on behalf of all animals and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect. Our strategy to 2030 will build on this strong platform as we look towards our 200th anniversary in 2024 and the years that follow.

Mallydams Wood is a well-established wildlife rehabilitation centre, education centre and woodland nature reserve in the South East of England, covering Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. 

In 1961, the late Horace Quick (1891 - 1966), a local artist and wildlife enthusiast, gave Mallydams Wood to us so that the woodland could benefit wildlife.

To help us carry out Horace’s wishes, we built a small wildlife rehabilitation centre and, since the doors opened more than 50 years ago, over 35,000 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals have been treated at the centre.

Wildlife Centre

Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre is equipped to deal with a variety of wild animals, from orphaned fox cubs to oiled birds.

Our staff are very knowledgeable and experienced in the treatment and rehabilitation of wildlife casualties, their release and monitoring their survival in the wild. And of course we’d be lost without our tireless volunteers!

Our facilities include:

• Veterinary examination room and X-ray machine.
• Orphan rearing and treatment areas.
• Specialised oiled bird cleaning facilities.
• Isolation units for larger birds or mammals.
• Rooms for oiled seabirds, growing orphans and areas for washed seabirds and injured birds.
• Pool aviaries for seabirds and water birds.
• Custom-built seclusion aviaries, some with shallow pools.
• Long-term mammal pens with indoor and outdoor areas.
• A deep pool for recovering oiled seabirds and seals.

Woodland

Our 55-acre woodland nature reserve provides a fantastic habitat for all sorts of wild animals. From foxes and badgers to owls, dormice and lizards.

The reserve is looked after by our woodland worker and his marvellous team of volunteers. Most of their work is aimed at maintaining the habitats of these fantastic wild animals and improving public access.

The woodland is not open to the public and access is by permission only as part of an education session.

We are looking for a new Veterinary Surgeon with post-qualification experience to join us at our wildlife centre on a casual basis.

• Contract: Casual
• Working hours: These are casual roles (zero-hour contract). Shifts will be offered between 08.00 to 4.30 pm, on-call shifts overnight and on the weekends. You will receive additional compensation for out-of-hours work. 

Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre is equipped to deal with a variety of wild animals, from orphaned fox cubs to oiled birds. We treat and rehabilitate wildlife casualties, supervise their release and monitor them in the wild.

We're looking for a pragmatic vet with experience working in a clinical setting with wildlife and/or exotic pets or zoo species. The role would be suited to candidates who additionally have an interest in animal welfare work and shelter medicine.

Additionally, you'll need:

• Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Previous clinical experience and/or additional qualifications in wildlife medicine would be advantageous 
• The ability to work efficiently, safely and well under time pressure (particularly as the caseload is very seasonal).
• Full manual driving licence - if you do not have a licence, please feel free to contact us using the email address below to discuss. 

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas.

• Salary: £29.81 - £35.07 p/h
• Contract: Casual
• Working hours: These are casual roles (zero-hour contract). Shifts will be offered between 08.00 and 4.30 pm, on-call shifts overnight and on the weekends. You will receive additional compensation for out-of-hours work. 

We take a holistic and team-based approach to individual animal treatment and recognise the importance of committing as much time as we can to focusing on the welfare of the animals in our care. This means that you get to work with some amazing, passionate, and supportive team members to focus on what is best for the animals you see. 

As part of that team, you will be:

• Treating wild animals in RSPCA Care.
• Undertaking a very varied and interesting caseload from seals, swans, falcons to bats, pigeons and swifts.  The centre can admit up to 120 different species a year.
• Undertaking a wide variety of surgical and medical interventions for the animals in our care 
• Providing veterinary opinion and support for welfare prosecution cases (training will be provided)
• Inputting on the development and implementation of RSPCA policies relating to wild animal rehabilitation and care, including following a structured decision-making process (training will be provided)
• Supporting the wider veterinary and wildlife rehabilitation sector with advice, guidance and training.

Closing date: 14 August 2026

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our purpose is to inspire everyone to create a better world for animals. We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our purpose.  For this reason, we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

Contacts

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.

Here's what the process looks like, no surprises, just a friendly guide:

1. Application
   You'll be asked to answer a few questions to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential. Don't worry if you don't tick every box - what really matters is what you can bring to the role and the team. Apply here. 
2. Panel Interview
   If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with the Hiring Manager. This is a chance to:

• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• We encourage you to ask questions about the role, the team, and the impact you could make. Interviews are a two-way conversation, and we recognise that any career move needs to feel right for you as well as for us.
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you.