Veterinarian/ Lead Veterinarian

Wags & Walks Nashville | Nashville, TN

About Wags & Walks

Wags & Walks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dog rescue dedicated to saving dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes and providing exceptional care as they journey toward adoption.

Wags & Walks Nashville is seeking a compassionate, experienced, and solutions-oriented Veterinarian to provide hands-on medical care for our rescue dogs while helping lead the medical systems that support our rescue population and community veterinary programs.

This is an opportunity for a veterinarian who is passionate about animal welfare and understands the unique demands of rescue and shelter medicine. Our ideal candidate balances high-quality individual patient care with population health, responsible resource management, operational efficiency, and our mission to save as many dogs as possible.

Position Summary

The Lead Veterinarian provides clinical care for Wags & Walks rescue dogs and eligible community-owned animals while serving as the senior clinical authority for veterinary decisions, medical protocols, and population-health guidance.

This position works in close partnership with the Medical Director and reports jointly to the Medical Director and Executive Director.

The Veterinarian is responsible for clinical judgment, diagnostic and treatment decisions, medical standards, veterinary protocols requiring DVM oversight, and applicable responsibilities associated with veterinary licensure. The Medical Director oversees day-to-day medical operations, workflow, scheduling, team coordination, and implementation of established protocols. The Executive Director retains organizational, budgetary, staffing, and strategic oversight.

Depending on the final role structure, this position may also serve as the supervising veterinarian for the Nashville veterinary premises permit and assume applicable controlled-substance and DEA responsibilities.

Key ResponsibilitiesClinical Veterinary Care

• Perform physical examinations and develop appropriate diagnostic and treatment plans.
• Provide preventive care and manage acute and chronic medical conditions.
• Independently perform spay/neuter procedures and common soft-tissue surgeries.
• Evaluate surgical candidates and oversee anesthesia, pain management, and postoperative recovery.
• Provide urgent stabilization when appropriate and determine when emergency or specialty referral is necessary.
• Evaluate dental disease and perform or oversee appropriate dental care.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely medical records.
• Perform high-volume spay and neuter with knowledge and confidence when abnormal alters arise.

Intake & Shelter Medicine

• Establish and oversee medical intake protocols in partnership with the Medical Director.
• Conduct direct veterinary examinations when clinically indicated or required.
• Oversee our existing protocols for vaccinations, parasite prevention, infectious-disease screening, and treatment.
• Establish clear triage procedures and escalation guidelines for staff.
• Define medical hold, isolation, quarantine, and medical clearance criteria.

Population Health & Disease Prevention

• Monitor the rescue population for infectious-disease trends and emerging medical concerns.
• Maintain quarantine, isolation, and biosecurity standards.
• Assist medical response to suspected outbreaks and exposure events.
• Provide guidance on safe animal movement, housing, fostering, and placement during infectious-disease concerns.
• Collaborate with medical and organizational leadership when population-health concerns may affect intake or housing decisions.
• Review significant disease events and recommend improvements to medical protocols and procedures.

Medical Systems, Protocols & Team Development

• Maintain practical veterinary protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in collaboration with the Medical Director.
• Continue guidelines for medication administration, medical escalation, surgery, anesthesia, infectious disease, foster care, and outside referrals.
• Continue to enable trained team members to provide safe, consistent care within their appropriate scopes of responsibility.
• Train and support veterinary and animal-care team members.
• Evaluate medical workflows and identify opportunities to improve safety, consistency, and efficiency.

Resource Stewardship

• Practice evidence-based, welfare-focused, and resource-conscious rescue medicine.
• Recommend diagnostics and treatments based on clinical value, prognosis, quality of life, and responsible use of organizational resources.
• Determine which cases can be safely managed in-house and which require outside referral.
• Partner with the Medical Director and Executive Director on significant medical expenditures and medical-budget planning.
• Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary outside veterinary costs without compromising patient care or animal welfare.

Regulatory & Controlled-Substance Compliance

Depending on the final role structure, responsibilities may include:

• Serving as the supervising veterinarian for Wags & Walks Nashville's veterinary premises.
• Maintaining an active Tennessee veterinary license.
• Comfortable allowing Wags and Walks to carry DEA registration with the Lead Veterinarian.
• Overseeing controlled-substance storage, access, administration, inventory, and documentation.
• Maintaining compliance with applicable Tennessee and federal veterinary regulations.
• Supporting inspections, audits, and other regulatory requirements.

If responsibility for the veterinary premises permit and/or applicable DEA registration is required, willingness and legal eligibility to assume those responsibilities will be a condition of employment.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Partner closely with the Medical Director, serving as a key clinical and operational collaborator.
• Provide clear, timely, practical, and actionable veterinary guidance.
• Collaborate with Medical, Intake, Operations, Foster, and Adoption teams.
• Communicate significant medical concerns and population-health risks to the Medical Director and Executive Director.
• Distinguish true medical emergencies from issues that can safely be monitored or managed under established protocols.
• Encourage thoughtful questions, open communication, and constructive discussion.
• Approach challenges with professionalism, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Foster a culture of accountability, consistency, and collaboration across departments.
• Respect the distinction between clinical veterinary authority, day-to-day medical operations, and broader organizational decision-making.

Required Qualifications

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent veterinary degree.
• Active Tennessee veterinary license or eligibility to obtain one.
• Strong small-animal clinical experience.
• Ability to independently perform spay/neuter procedures.
• Competency in common soft-tissue surgery.
• Strong understanding of anesthesia, analgesia, and perioperative care.
• Excellent clinical judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong medical-record documentation and organizational skills.
• Willingness and legal eligibility to assume applicable regulatory responsibilities associated with the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three or more years of veterinary experience.
• Experience in shelter medicine, animal rescue, or high-volume spay/neuter practice.
• Experience with population health, infectious-disease prevention, or outbreak management.
• Experience providing community veterinary care.
• Experience developing veterinary protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Experience managing controlled substances or serving as a supervising veterinarian for a veterinary premises.
• USDA accreditation or willingness to obtain accreditation.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a skilled clinician and thoughtful medical leader who is calm under pressure, collaborative, adaptable, and confident in making sound clinical decisions.

They understand that excellent rescue medicine requires more than treating individual patients. It also means considering population health, prognosis, quality of life, available resources, and the long-term sustainability of our mission.

The right person brings a low-ego, solutions-oriented approach to leadership, values open communication, and works effectively with colleagues across departments. They are comfortable navigating the realities of nonprofit veterinary medicine, developing practical systems, and helping teams make consistent, informed decisions.

Pay: $70,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $70,000 - $120,000