Shelter Veterinarian/Surgeon

We are an innovative organization with a $27 million expansion project underway and will be opening North Carolina's first regional campus for pets and people. As a veterinarian with the SPCA of Wake County, you will be collaborating with our existing medical team of one veterinarian and several full-time veterinary medical assistants. They are highly efficient, experienced, and are committed to providing compassionate care to our pets!

If you have a passion for helping animals & people in the community, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where you can treat shelter pets and provide high quality/high volume spay & neuter surgery, and want to be a part of a collaborative & forward-thinking team, being a Veterinarian at the SPCA of Wake County may be the position for you!

Category: Full-time, Exempt
Location: Raleigh and Garner, NC
Reports to: VP of Operations

Salary: $130,000 (negotiable) plus health/dental/vision insurance, paid time off, 401(k); relocation fees paid up to $5,000, flexible schedule, additional benefits negotiable

About Us:

At SPCA Wake, we're a bustling hub of innovation, bursting with passion and driven by a singular goal: to become the ultimate resource for animal shelters and animal lovers across the entire state. Currently working in well over half of North Carolina's 100 counties, SPCA Wake will continue to expand the reach of its pet adoption program by continuing to help under-resourced shelters via placement of pets through the SPCA's program. We currently have a $27 million expansion project underway and, in 2026, will be opening North Carolina's first regional campus for pets and people. The addition of a new animal intake and community resource center on the campus of our pet adoption center will streamline the SPCA's life saving operations and enable us to deliver even more services to the pets and people of central and eastern NC.

As a leading pet adoption organization in the region, we intake & adopt out thousands of animals each year, including neonates, senior pets, those with medical needs, and everyone in between. Our existing medical team of one veterinarian and several full-time, highly efficient, and experienced veterinary medical assistants is a formidable force, and our culture is overflowing with an unmatched zeal for providing the best care possible to our furry friends. We celebrate saving lives through stellar medical care, high quality spay & neuter surgery, efficient operations, and finding forever homes. Your expertise and compassion will empower our vision to be the regional leader in animal welfare. This is a unique opportunity to join a tight-knit team focused on collaboration, continuous improvement, and positive culture.

As one of our vets, you will have the ability to:

- Provide outstanding medical care to a diverse population of animals in the SPCA's adoption program, from healthy pets to critical medical cases

- Collaborate with our existing medical team to develop innovative strategies for optimal animal health and well-being

- Encourage continuous improvement and outside of the box solutions throughout the shelter to increase quality of care

- Coordinate with all departments (intake, animal care, adoptions) in a positive & productive manner to ensure streamlined operations and judicious resource allocation

- Communicate regularly with our development team to share heartwarming stories and medical successes to be spotlighted in our community outreach efforts

- Participate in interdepartmental conversations to maintain open communication on organizational progress, needs, and decision making

- Provide guidance and support to our dedicated medical staff, empowering them to become heroes in their own right

- Train staff on the use and importance of Fear Free handling

- Flex your patience and kindness skills by sharing information with staff and volunteers using a problem-solving approach

- Perform high volume, high quality surgical sterilizations

- Examine animals postoperatively to ensure appropriate recovery

- Vaccinate and snap test animals

- Follow and support all organizational and medical protocols

- Behave in a manner that upholds both professional and personal standards while embracing the core values of SPCA Wake at all times

- Strive to continuously update and improve all training needs

We're looking for someone who:

- Has extensive experience in veterinary medicine, possessing powers of diagnosis, treatment, and biosecurity protocols

- Has a passion for and experience in working in shelter medicine and providing high volume, high quality spay & neuter services

- Is compassionate, positive, and dedicated to animal welfare

- Enjoys collaborating with a team & teaching when necessary

- Is excited about our mission and impact

- Possesses excellent communication skills needed to interact with our enthusiastic team, volunteers, and furry patients alike

- Has an innovative mindset with a thirst for discovering new ways to enhance animal welfare

- Has organizational abilities to juggle multiple cases and responsibilities simultaneously

- Dreams about being on the front lines in the battle to stop pet overpopulation and the euthanasia of healthy animals and wants to work with like-minded individuals

- Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and being an efficient, productive team member and teacher to new staff

- Always thinks of ways to be more efficient with processes and time management

- Possess kindness and compassion while assuming positive intent when interacting with co-workers and constituents

Perks and Benefits:

- Be a part of an awe-inspiring team that is changing the game in animal sheltering

- Work in an environment of kindness, support, and open communication with resources to assist in your heroic efforts

- Enjoy a flexible schedule that allows you to maintain a work-life balance, because even superheroes need downtime

- Competitive salary with room for growth and development

- Unleash your creativity and make a real impact on the lives of animals and the community

Requirements:

- Must hold a current North Carolina Veterinary License or be qualified and able to obtain such license within 60 days of hire

- Must be qualified & eligible to obtain a DEA license

- Must use fear-free handling methods and become Fear Free Certified within 60 days of hire

- Must be knowledgeable about shelter medicine and high volume, high quality spay & neuter best practices

- Effective decision making and diagnostic skills

- Must have a valid driver's license and insurable driving record to travel efficiently between the SPCA's two locations

- Availability for emergency telephone consultations during non-business hours

Conditions:

- May work in an area with a high noise level, foul odors, toxic chemicals, environmental contaminants, and zoonotic diseases

- May be required to work longer than a standard eight-hour workday

- Physical requirements include the ability to stand or sit for long periods of time, walking, bending, lifting & carrying (50 pounds), speaking, hearing, seeing & depth perception

- May be required to climb, balance, kneel, stoop, crouch, or crawl

- May be pulled, jolted, or jumped on by small & large animals

- Must possess excellent hand-eye coordination and possess an acceptable degree of dexterity in hands and fingers

- Must have good hearing including ability to distinguish changes in pitch

- Must have reasonable degree of agility to move through tightly cramped areas in various situations

- Must have good vision including peripheral vision, fine detail, distance, depth perception, and the ability to focus

- Must be able to cope with death due to surgical complications or euthanasia

- Ability to rapidly and accurately process information

- Ability to remain calm in frustrating and stressful situations

Potential and Prolonged Exposures:

• Various aqueous solutions including, but not limited to, dish soap and chlorhexidine
• Isopropanol and hydrogen peroxide
• Formalin solution
• Isoflurane gas
• Ammonium cleaners, bleach, and Accel
• Pressurized steam
• Sharps, including needles and surgical blades

Work Hours:

This is an exempt position that requires a 40-45-hour work week, typically Monday through Friday onsite, although some weekends may be necessary depending on the needs of the animals. Remote on-call availability is needed for staff support. Work hours may be extended as needed to meet the health needs of animals, or for task completion, employee training, special events, or meetings.

Additional Benefits:

• Medical and Dental: Employer pays 90% of employee coverage (full-time)
• Insurance includes wellness, dental, vision, life, mental health care, prescriptions, emergency & urgent care, chiropractic care, and physical therapy
• Telemedicine options, 24/7 access to virtual health & wellness care and virtual behavioral health care
• PAID TIME OFF -
• All part-time and full-time staff receive paid time off.
• Paid Holidays - 9 paid holidays per year (full-time)
• Vacation Time - 10 paid vacation days per year (full-time) with scheduled increases at milestone anniversaries of hire date
• Sick Time - 6.5 paid sick days per year (full-time)
• FINANCIAL -
• Healthcare: Flexible Spending Account
• 401k Plan
• Coastal Federal Credit Union Membership
• 20% discount on pet adoptions and in SPCA Wake retail store
• OTHER -
• Bereavement time off
• Federal & State Leave of Absence options

Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. No phone calls, please - we'll have our people call your people!