Working as an Official Vet

Official Vets have a significant impact on both animal welfare and safeguarding human health.​

Are you a qualified vet? Are you interested in starting a career in public health in Scotland?

We’re looking for motivated and driven veterinarians to deliver Official Controls in Food Standards Scotland meat approved premises (abattoirs and game handling establishments) across Scotland. This is a role that has a significant impact on both animal welfare and safeguarding human health.​

We offer: 

  • competitive starting salary of £35,867 (£36,585 from 1 April 2024)  

  • 37 hour working week with no on-call requirement 

  • additional pay supplement of £4,000 per annum (upon successful completion of the training programme) 

  • pay progression within the grade until you reach maximum of the band 

  • fully paid and supported in-house training, which is estimated to take between 3-4 months 

  • continuous professional development opportunities, including fully paid training of at least 35 hours per year and paid Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) annual fee 

  • 5 weeks annual leave, increasing to 6 weeks after 4 years of service (plus 11.5 public and privilege days per year) 

  • family friendly benefits including paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave (subject to qualifying period), and access to a range of other Civil Service benefits 

  • Civil Service Pension Scheme — one of the best pension schemes in the UK, with employee contribution starting at 4.6% and employer contribution from 26.6.% (note that the pay supplement is also pensionable)  

  • generous sick pay entitlement — up to 6 months fully paid sickness leave in any 12 months rolling period 

  • special and volunteering leave 

  • management and peer support throughout your development and career with us 

  • guidance to navigate all requirements to become a Government Vet with FSS (RCVS registration, working visa, support with relocation etc.)

We ask that you: 

  • are a qualified veterinarian from one of the universities approved by RCVS 

  • have at least IELTS level 5 English and achieve level 7 within maximum 18 months from starting employment

  • work well within a team, communicate clearly and take satisfaction in a job well done  

If you think this is something you would be interested in and want to find out more, please get in touch with our Head Veterinarian, Elena McWatt at elena.mcwatt@fss.scot 

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Meet Cristina Matei - FSS Official Veterinarian

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has started a new recruitment campaign to encourage more qualified veterinarians to consider becoming an Official Veterinarian (OV). The following blog from FSS OV Cristina Matei details what she enjoys about working in the public sector.