Location: Kanab, Utah

Hiring Range: This position’s hiring range is anticipated to be $155,000 to $175,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!

Schedule: This position works a 4x10 schedule.

Are you looking to expand your professional journey? Do you thrive in having days that are never the same, with unique cases you get to see through to successful treatment and recovery? Is saving the lives of animals your passion, but find that upselling in private practice is dampening your spirit? Take your compassion and excitement for healing to the next level when you join the Best Friends team. You'd be working from the heart of our organization, the largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals in the country! Come live among the beautiful red rock canyons and put your veterinary experience to work for up to 1,600 dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, horses, and other barnyard animals at our Sanctuary. As a Best Friends Lead Veterinarian, you'll be part of a professional medical team that performs lifesaving work, providing Best Friends animals, low-income client pets, and other select clients top-of-the-line medical care.

While staff veterinarians work as a team to provide for all veterinary needs across departments, there are multiple areas within which you can grow or apply your passions in the role. This role provides leadership to the vet team in our efforts for continual growth and improvement.

We’re seeking veterinarians who have professional interests that include:

• Shelter medicine – Dogtown and Cat World help save animals from under-resourced shelters across the region and the country. They provide care and treatment with the goal of finding a loving, adoptive home as efficiently as possible.

• Exotics – From Parrot Garden and Bunny House to Wild Friends with a full wildlife rehabilitation and education program, the Sanctuary cares for an incredible variety of species for adoption, release to the wild, or lifetime care when needed.

• Large animals – Horse Haven is home to horses, but also goats, pigs, and the occasional donkey. With a new, state-of-the-art headquarters and veterinary clinic, Horse Haven is a world-class equine medicine experience.

• High-volume, high-quality, spay and neuter surgeries – spay and neuter surgeries are critical in our work to Save Them All.

• Urgent care and general practice – Best Friends veterinary team responds to the routine and urgent needs of the animals in our care and others within the clinic facility, ensuring animals receive the care they need in this beautiful rural community.

Our medical facilities include a 13,000-square-foot clinic facility with dedicated surgery and dental suites, state-of-the-art laboratory, x-ray suite, ultrasound room, and many more features to provide animals with all they need. And satellite clinics located within each sanctuary department allow you to spend your days working closely with the animal care teams and thousands of animals who pass through the Sanctuary on their way to a loving adopted home, with resources and technical support readily at hand.

In addition, Kanab is in beautiful southern Utah – an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. We are surrounded by world-renowned parks and nature sites such as the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and many more. If you are looking for a spectacular work-life balance and want to live in the outdoor playground of southern Utah, contact us today!

You can check out the sanctuary in this short video, or better yet, visit us and see for yourself!

Position Summary: The Lead Veterinarian serves a key role as a medical leader for Sanctuary-based staff veterinarians, ensuring consistent treatment and care to Best Friends’ organizational standards while providing hands-on veterinary care. Working in conjunction with Best Friends’ medical director and leadership, the lead vet influences excellence and efficiency in veterinary medicine throughout all Sanctuary veterinary services areas including shelter medicine, wellness, hospitalizations, emergency care, high-quality-high-volume spay and neuter surgeries, and other surgeries while providing care for Best Friends’ animals, lifesaving partners, staff, and public clients. In collaboration with division leadership the lead vet is a valued contributor in supporting Sanctuary-based regional and national strategies to achieve no-kill nationally by 2025.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Demonstrate kindness and the Golden Rule in our everyday actions by practicing inclusion and respect for every person for the value they bring to the table. Be a role model for the spirit of authenticity, kindness and positive influence with each other, our visitors, and volunteers as well as to the animals every day. This includes listening, being present, being supportive of others and demonstrating compassion and curiosity in conflict. 

• Serves as a medical leader, fostering collaborative environment between veterinarians as well as between veterinary and animal care staff, assisting with complex medical cases, decision-making, and problem solving.

• Responsible for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of program animals; uphold medical standards of care; perform a variety of procedures as needed including high-volume spay and neuter; maintain knowledge of shelter medicine including common infectious diseases and conditions and their treatment; conduct diagnostic procedures.

• Support on call and emergency response; ensure a safe and effective clinic environment, educate, mentor, and coach veterinary students, technicians, assistants, and volunteers; communicate with shelters, outside veterinarians, and clinics regarding cases including referrals or post-adoption support.

• Promote continuing development of medical care through continued education; keep abreast of veterinary concerns and trends in animal welfare; and uphold the highest standards of professionalism; provide onboarding and training relating to veterinary medicine and Best Friends operating procedures.

• Lead by example in delivering superior customer service in our operations, where we relate to all visitors, adopters, fosters, and others in a friendly, informational, and professional manner.

• Work collaboratively with and assist Best Friends’ team members in all areas of operations to develop, evolve, and implement efficient processes to achieve lifesaving goals; follow policies, procedures, and task lists, including accurate and timely communications, work completion, data entry, and recordkeeping. 

• Lead and maintain a safe workplace, value, and model safe work practices, adhering to organizational safety practices and rules, and addressing or communicating to leadership about unsafe practices and conditions.

Skills and Experience:

• Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine with experience leading teams, preferably within a collaborative veterinary team.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience working as a practicing veterinarian, including professional experience with shelter medicine.

• Licensed in good standing with state veterinary board, license or application for license with Drug Enforcement Agency.

• Ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle cats and dogs, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns; basic ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats. Additional experience with a variety of species, including exotics, birds, equines, etc. is a plus.

• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills preferred but not required.

• Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with a conversational adoption process. 

• Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.   

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organization skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.  

• Resourceful, get-it-done attitude; initiative to assist in any area or process; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until goals are achieved. 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software/animal management software, or desire to learn. 

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to: 

  • Routinely lift 40 pounds and perform daily strenuous activity including, but not limited to lifting, carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, and bending. 

  • Perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time including typing, sitting, walking, arm, and hand motion.  

  • Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold. 

• Exposure to dogs, cats and other animals of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status.  

• Must have a valid driver's license for at least 3 years, ability to qualify to be added to Best Friends insurance, ability to travel and/or drive on behalf of Best Friends, including overnight stays, when needed.  

• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, on-call shifts, nights, and holiday work.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.