San Diego Humane Society logo
San Diego Humane Society
San Diego, California

Veterinarian (Full-Ti

VeterinarianFull-Time

Listed compensation

$120k-$150k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Job Location: San Diego Campus - San Diego, CA
  • Position Type: Full-Time/Part-Time/Temporary
  • Salary Range: $120000.00 - $150000.00Salary/year
  • Job Category: Medical, San Diego Humane Society is hiring Veterinarians for our San Diego Campus! How you’ll impact our mission: At San Diego Humane Society, veterinary medicine is at the heart of our lifesaving work — and essential to our promise of Staying at Zero euthanasia of healthy or treatable shelter animals. We are expanding our clinical team and have immediate opportunities for full-time, part-time and per required need (PRN) Veterinarians. Whether you're looking for a dedicated full-time schedule or the flexibility of part-time or relief shifts, your involvement will make an immediate, tangible difference in our daily capacity to provide critical care. Based out of our state-of-the-art Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine, California’s first shelter medicine teaching hospital, you’ll provide high-quality medical services in an efficient manner and care for a variety of well, sick and injured animals, including high-volume/high-quality spay and neuter procedures. This role delivers service at the gold standard level in alignment with the SDHS Way, to meet the needs of animals and the people who love them by leading with compassion, finding creative solutions, providing personalized care and building connections. If you’re passionate about making an impact in the animal welfare movement, we’d love to talk to you. What’s in it for you? At SDHS, we’re proud to be an

Equal Employment Opportunity

Employer and commit to being a place where every person – staff, volunteer, and guest – can feel a sense of belonging. We support and invest in employees through conscious delivery of benefits and a workplace environment based on our Core Values. As an employee you’ll enjoy: Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!) Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services …and so much more! What you’ll do: Responsible for medical examinations, medical care and monitoring of the health and welfare of animals in the care of SDHS, animals from contract agencies, and privately owned animals participating in our community programs. Spay and neuter surgeries are performed daily, and additional soft tissue and orthopedic surgery as needed Evaluate and make recommendations for, and perform humane euthanasia of suffering or unhealthy animals according to SDHS policies and protocols Work at SDHS sponsored clinics, on-site or in the community, inside or outside of normal business hours, and help cover between SDHS campuses as directed by Medical Director/Hospital Director Prepare documentation and provide expertise to Humane Law Enforcement on-site, in field and in court Participate in SDHS education programs by mentoring externs and interns What we’re looking for: DVM/VMD degree from accredited university, and ability to obtain a veterinary license in state of CA required. Must obtain permanent CA veterinary license within one (1) year of appointment. Completion of internship experience in the field of veterinary medicine, or more than one year of experience working as a DVM is preferred. At least one (1) year experience working as a DVM required. Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes. Prior experience with high volume surgeries and with herd health and/or large populations of animals is very helpful. Location &

  • Hours: Based at our San Diego Campus

Part-Time positions work 20 to 28 hours per week for approximately two to three months, and PRN positions work on a flexible, variable schedule. Pay: Starting range is between $120,000 – $150,000 per year for full-time, $66.35 - $74.64 per hour for part-time, or at a flat rate of $100.00 per hour for PRN.

Sign-on and relocation bonuses are negotiable for full-time. The listed hiring range for this position depicts the target range of pay rates for candidates. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience.

Compensation for internal candidates may increase beyond the listed range based on performance over time. For all candidates, the actual starting pay rate is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to your years of related education and experience, internal pay equity, and position location. To learn more about our benefits and perks, click here.

Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

The Veterinarian is responsible for performing medical examinations, monitoring animal health, and conducting high-volume spay/neuter surgeries. They also provide expertise to Humane Law Enforcement and participate in mentoring externs and interns.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a DVM/VMD degree and possess at least one year of experience in veterinary medicine. A valid California veterinary license is required, or must be obtained within one year of appointment.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Spay and neuter surgerySoft tissue surgeryMedical examinationClinical careHigh-volume surgery

Veterinary Medicine Career Context

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$135k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $122k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Veterinary Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 78% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

What does the Veterinary Medicine market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$120k–$150kVeterinary Medicine median $162k (middle half $145k–$182k)63 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$122k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Veterinary Medicine listings in California258 active3,180 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 78% no call · 60% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentsign-on bonusCalifornia healthcare professional listings: 38% state a sign-on bonus (median $50k) · 15% offer loan repayment385 active listings, Nov 2026
New Veterinary Medicine listings983 in the last 30 days518 the 30 days before (+90%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Veterinary Medicine pay trend+1.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Veterinarian Jobs

25 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

25 jobs · 17 employers
6
<$145k
3
$160k
6
$170k-195k
6
$195k-220k
4
$220k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

24 jobs · 17 employers
401k / retirement match
92% this job
CME allowance
83%
Sign-on bonus
71% this job
Relocation assistance
63% this job
Loan repayment
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Veterinarian Medical Leader

PETCO Animal Supplies Stores · Folsom, California

$140k-$224k
#2

Hospital Medical Leader - Veterinarian

PETCO Animal Supplies Stores · Los Angeles, California

$140k-$224k
#3

Hospital Veterinarian

$104k-$220k
#4

Senior Veterinarian

$120k-$220k
+ 23 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 1.5
Below most Veterinary Medicine listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,149 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

San Diego Humane Society logo

About San Diego Humane Society

Non-profit Organizations
San Diego, CA
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive pay
Paid time off
Birthday Day Off
Comprehensive benefits package
Training and well-being programs
403(b) retirement plan with 5% match
Free pet adoptions
Pet vaccines and spay/neuter services

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M≈ 8.3× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo≈ 30% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.