Lead Veterinarian

About Wags & Walks

Wags & Walks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dog rescue committed to saving dogs of all breeds, ages,

and sizes and providing them with exceptional care on their path to adoption.

Since opening in 2019, Wags & Walks Nashville has helped thousands of dogs find loving

homes while expanding access to essential veterinary care through our rescue and community

programs.

We are seeking an experienced, compassionate, and solutions-oriented Lead Veterinarian to

provide exceptional clinical care and help shape the future of our Nashville medical program.

This is an opportunity for a veterinarian who wants meaningful clinical autonomy, a collaborative

team, and the ability to make a direct impact on animal welfare. The ideal candidate combines

strong medical and surgical skills with a practical understanding of shelter medicine, population

health, and the unique opportunities and challenges of nonprofit veterinary care.

Position Summary

The Lead Veterinarian will serve as the senior veterinary clinical authority for Wags & Walks

Nashville, providing hands-on medical and surgical care while leading the clinical standards,

protocols, and veterinary practices that support our rescue population and community veterinary

programs.

This position reports directly to the Executive Director and operates with independent

clinical authority, without an additional Medical Director layer.

The Lead Veterinarian will have significant autonomy in veterinary decision-making, treatment

planning, medical protocols, surgical standards, and clinical oversight, with the opportunity to

develop and improve systems that support excellent patient care and efficient medical

operations.The position works in close partnership with a dedicated Medical Manager, who coordinates

daily departmental operations, scheduling, medical staff workflows, inventory, and administrative

processes.

The Lead Veterinarian provides clinical direction and supervision to veterinary personnel within

their respective scopes of practice, while the Medical Manager supports the execution and

coordination of those clinical priorities.

The Executive Director provides broader organizational, budgetary, staffing, and strategic

oversight, with a shared commitment to ensuring that medical decisions are grounded in sound

veterinary judgment and animal welfare.

This role is ideal for a veterinarian who enjoys practicing medicine, leading through expertise,

building sustainable systems, and having a meaningful voice in the direction of a growing

rescue organization.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical & Surgical Care

• Independently perform comprehensive veterinary examinations and develop diagnostic
• and treatment plans.
• Provide preventive medicine and manage acute, chronic, and complex medical
• conditions.
• Perform spay/neuter procedures and common soft-tissue surgeries.
• Evaluate surgical candidates and oversee anesthesia, analgesia, surgical safety, and
• postoperative recovery.
• Diagnose and manage infectious diseases, injuries, and conditions frequently
• encountered in rescue medicine.
• Provide urgent stabilization when appropriate and determine when emergency or
• specialty referrals are indicated.
• Evaluate and treat dental disease within the veterinarian's clinical competencies.
• Ensure complete, accurate, and timely medical records.
• Exercise independent professional judgment in determining medically appropriate care,
• treatment, and patient welfare decisions.

Veterinary Leadership & Clinical Autonomy

• Serve as the organization's primary authority on veterinary medical care, clinical standards, and veterinary protocols.
• Establish, evaluate, and continuously improve medical and surgical practices.
• Provide clinical direction and appropriate veterinary supervision to veterinary
• technicians, assistants, and other medical personnel.
• Collaborate with the Medical Manager to establish effective medical workflows and team responsibilities.
• Provide training, clinical guidance, and mentorship to medical personnel.
• Make independent veterinary decisions while maintaining open communication with
• organizational leadership.
• Help shape long-term improvements to Wags & Walks Nashville's medical services, clinical capabilities, and quality of care.

Intake & Shelter Medicine

• Establish and oversee medical intake protocols for rescue dogs.
• Perform direct veterinary examinations when clinically indicated or required.
• Develop protocols for vaccinations, parasite prevention, infectious-disease screening,
• and treatment.
• Establish clear medical triage, escalation, isolation, and clearance criteria.
• Provide medical recommendations regarding animals with significant health conditions or
• complex care needs.
• Collaborate with Intake, Foster, Adoption, and Operations teams to support appropriate care and placement decisions.
• Balance individual patient needs with responsible shelter population-health practices.

Population Health & Disease Prevention

• Monitor the rescue population for infectious-disease trends and emerging medical concerns.
• Establish and maintain quarantine, isolation, sanitation, and biosecurity protocols.
• Lead clinical decision-making during suspected infectious-disease outbreaks or exposure events.
• Provide medical guidance regarding animal movement, housing, and placement when health risks are identified.
• Collaborate with the Medical Manager, Executive Director, and Operations leadership to
• implement appropriate responses to population-health concerns.
• Evaluate significant medical events and recommend improvements to prevent recurrence.

Medical Systems & Operational Partnership

• Develop and maintain practical, evidence-based veterinary protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Establish clear clinical guidelines for medication administration, surgery, anesthesia,
• patient monitoring, emergency escalation, infectious disease, and outside referrals.
• Partner with the Medical Manager to build efficient systems that support consistent and high-quality care.
• Support appropriate delegation of medical responsibilities to trained staff within legally permitted scopes of practice.
• Identify opportunities to improve patient care, workflow efficiency, communication, and medical team effectiveness.
• Participate in medical team planning and provide clinical input into department staffing, training, and resource needs.

Resource Stewardship & Nonprofit Veterinary Medicine

• Practice evidence-based, resource-conscious medicine while maintaining appropriate clinical standards.
• Develop treatment recommendations that consider prognosis, quality of life, patient welfare, and responsible use of organizational resources.
• Determine when patients can safely receive treatment in-house versus requiring outside referral.
• Help strengthen the organization's ability to provide high-quality in-house veterinary care.
• Collaborate with the Medical Manager and Executive Director on medical supply needs, equipment, significant expenditures, and departmental budget planning.
• Contribute to sustainable medical practices that support Wags & Walks' mission of saving as many dogs as responsibly possible.

Community Veterinary Programs

• Provide veterinary services for eligible community-owned animals through Wags & Walks' accessible veterinary care initiatives.
• Support spay/neuter services, preventive care, and other approved community veterinary programs.
• Help develop practical clinical protocols that allow community programs to operate safely, efficiently, and effectively.
• Collaborate with leadership on opportunities to expand access to veterinary care in ways that align with organizational resources and mission priorities.

Regulatory & Veterinary Oversight

• The Lead Veterinarian is expected to assume appropriate veterinary regulatory responsibilities
• associated with the organization's medical operations, which may include:
• Serving as the supervising veterinarian associated with Wags & Walks Nashville's veterinary premises permit.
• Maintaining an active Tennessee veterinary license and all applicable professional credentials.
• Obtaining and maintaining applicable DEA registration and other required authorizations.
• Providing veterinary oversight of controlled-substance handling, storage, prescribing, administration, inventory, and documentation.
• Ensuring compliance with applicable state and federal veterinary regulations.
• Supporting veterinary facility inspections, audits, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Providing required clinical oversight and supervision of veterinary personnel.
• Any responsibilities involving premises permits, controlled-substance registration, or other regulatory obligations will be clearly established in accordance with applicable law and the final employment agreement.

Collaboration & Leadership

The Lead Veterinarian will be an integral member of Wags & Walks Nashville's leadership team

and is expected to:

• Work directly and collaboratively with the Executive Director on medical priorities and
• organizational initiatives.
• Build a strong working partnership with the Medical Manager, with clearly defined clinical
• and operational responsibilities.
• Provide thoughtful, timely, and practical veterinary guidance to medical and nonmedical
• teams.
• Communicate significant medical concerns proactively and transparently.
• Approach complex cases and operational challenges with sound judgment, flexibility,
• and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, and accountable medical team culture.
• Welcome questions, feedback, and differing perspectives while maintaining appropriate
• professional clinical judgment.
• Support strong cross-departmental communication and a shared commitment to animal
• welfare.
• Demonstrate the ability to distinguish between urgent medical concerns and issues that
• can be safely addressed through established protocols.

Qualifications

Required

• DVM or equivalent veterinary degree from an accredited institution, or an otherwise
• qualifying degree for Tennessee licensure.
• Active Tennessee veterinary license or eligibility to obtain one.
• Strong small-animal clinical and diagnostic experience.
• Ability to independently perform spay/neuter procedures.
• Competency in common soft-tissue surgery.
• Strong knowledge of anesthesia, analgesia, and perioperative care.
• Excellent clinical judgment, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work independently and provide clinical leadership.
• Strong medical-record documentation practices.
• Willingness and legal eligibility to assume applicable veterinary regulatory
• responsibilities.

Preferred

• 3+ years of veterinary experience.
• Shelter, rescue, or high-volume spay/neuter experience.
• Experience with infectious disease, population health, and shelter medicine.
• Community veterinary medicine experience.
• Experience developing or improving veterinary medical protocols.
• Experience supervising or mentoring veterinary support personnel.
• Experience with veterinary premises oversight and controlled-substance compliance.
• USDA accreditation or willingness to obtain it.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal Lead Veterinarian is an experienced, confident, and compassionate clinician who

wants the opportunity to make a meaningful difference through both hands-on medicine and

medical leadership.

They are comfortable exercising independent clinical judgment, making thoughtful decisions,

and developing systems that allow a medical team to operate effectively.

They understand that rescue medicine requires both compassion and practicality: providing

excellent individual patient care while considering population health, quality of life, available

resources, and the organization's long-term ability to help animals in need.

Above all, they are collaborative, accountable, solutions-oriented, and motivated by the

opportunity to build a strong, sustainable medical program that directly contributes to saving

dogs' lives.

Why Join Wags & Walks?

Meaningful clinical autonomy: Serve as the lead veterinary decision-maker without an

additional Medical Director reporting layer.

Leadership opportunity: Play a central role in shaping and improving a growing rescue

medical program.

Dedicated operational support: Partner with a Medical Manager who coordinates daily

medical operations and administrative workflows.

Mission-driven medicine: Focus on improving animal welfare and increasing access to

veterinary care.

Collaborative environment: Work alongside a passionate rescue team committed to

saving lives and continually improving how we operate.

Lasting impact: Help build sustainable medical systems that improve care for rescue

dogs and animals in the broader community.