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Chewy
Fort Myers, Florida

Lead Veterinarian

Veterinarian Above average in Veterinary MedicineFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not disclosed

Listing transparency0 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting and call expectations.

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Job Description

Our Opportunity:

Chewy Vet Care’s mission is to be the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents and partners everywhere. We view pets (and pet parents) as family and are obsessed with meeting their needs and exceeding customer expectations through every interaction. Within Chewy, the Chewy Health team is passionate about redefining how vets and pet parents care for their pets and are on a multi-year journey to reinvent the experience of working with your veterinarian to keep your pets happy and healthy.

As part of this mission, Chewy Vet Care is hiring a Lead Veterinarian to help us scale a connected, detailed omnichannel customer experience for clients of our Chewy Vet Care practices. This leader will be responsible for all aspects of physical security across the organization, managing systems such as CCTV, intrusion alarms, and safes to ensure efficient performance and reliability. They will lead vendor commissioning during new facility buildouts, conduct investigations into security incidents, and develop standard operating procedures aligned with industry standards. Additionally, they will train staff on security protocols, audit site readiness, and lead vendor relationships to support continuous improvement and preventive maintenance.

What You'll Do

As a Lead Veterinarian, you will serve as a leader of your practice’s veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and assistants, setting the bar for providing high-level, proficient veterinary medical care and embodying the Chewy Vet Care culture to work collaboratively with your peers and deliver the pet parent WOW experience.

Hold all Team Members accountable to get results by being available, removing barriers and obstacles, facilitating change, and providing mentorship and feedback related to performance.

Implementing the outlined policies and procedures, using integrated technology, and delivering consistent and appropriate medical care within the given skills.

Perform physical examinations and diagnostic/medical/surgical/dental procedures in a way that will deliver while minimizing patient stress and discomfort. Able to perform more sophisticated surgeries and mastered the ability to provide care of complicated cases.

Explain physical examination findings and communicate to the client a diagnosis of the patients’ problems; generate and present a treatment plan for patients.

Maintain client/patient medical/surgical records and make certain all logs are kept up to date through established protocols; assist colleagues in follow-up and future management of patients.

Staying current with new medical information and changes in veterinary medicine, attend continuing education meetings

Lead, Manage, Develop, and Mentor Associate Veterinarians regarding the improvement of individual performance with respect to client happiness, teamwork, medical quality, record keeping, and efficiency.

Assist in the development of the paraprofessional team to ensure the delivery of the highest quality care and outstanding client service.

Oversee operating, safety, and compliance procedures as required by applicable law and Chewy Vet Care processes and policies.

May serve as the designated veterinarian responsible for controlled substance accountability, regulatory compliance, and related accounts within the practice. Responsible for maintaining accurate controlled substance records and overseeing the compliant ordering, storage, inventory management, reconciliation, and disposal of controlled substances in accordance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Position may require some travel.

What you’ll need

  • A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (DVM, VMD) or equivalent is required
  • Active State license in good standing, DEA license and other state credentials as required
  • 5+ years’ experience in general medicine and surgery; 1 - 3 years of leadership experience.
  • 2 years of supervised experience with veterinary radiation machines preferred
  • Comfortable collaborating with other veterinary professionals in a team-oriented environment
  • Is passionate about helping people and pets with empathy and excellent customer service focus.
  • Ability to multi-task and perform well in a face paced, self-starter environment.

Physical job requirements

  • Standing or walking up to 80% per shift.
  • Frequently lift up to 50 to 70 pounds using an optional team lift.
  • Occasionally lift greater than 70+ pounds using a team lift.
  • Stand, push, pull, carry, squat, and kneel.

Chewy Vet Care is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need an accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, or if you need a religious accommodation, please contact CAAR@chewy.com.

To access Chewy's California CPRA Job Applicant Privacy Policy, please click here.

Key Responsibilities

The Lead Veterinarian will oversee clinical operations, mentor associate veterinarians, and ensure the delivery of high-quality medical and surgical care. They are also responsible for maintaining regulatory compliance, managing controlled substances, and fostering a collaborative team environment.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and an active state license with at least 5 years of experience in general medicine and surgery. Additionally, 1-3 years of leadership experience and the ability to perform sophisticated surgical procedures are required.

Qualifications

Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Team managementDiagnostic proceduresClient communicationControlled substance managementMedical record keepingStaff trainingPerformance managementEmergency response

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Lead Veterinarian at Chewy a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Veterinary Medicine — ranked against 2,953 active Veterinary Medicine listings on WeekdayDoc.

Veterinary Medicine Career Context

In Florida, the Veterinary Medicine weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$116k (18 salary observations; 198 listings), vs ~$142k nationally (313 salary observations; 2,301 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-03-01 through 2026-09-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Veterinary Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 74% have no call, 50% require no weekends.

Veterinary Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.7% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Veterinarian Jobs

19 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution16 jobs · 14 employers

3
<$115k
4
$115k-140k
5
$140k-165k
4
$165k-190k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks16 jobs · 14 employers

401k / retirement match
94%
CME allowance
88% this job
Sign-on bonus
63%
Relocation assistance
19%
Loan repayment
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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$130k-$185k
#2

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$120k-$175k
#3

Veterinarian - San Jose, CA

$150k-$170k
#4

Veterinarian - Queensbury, NY

$130k-$170k
+ 17 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

6.6/ 10
Listing-based score

Above average in Veterinary Medicine

Living in Fort Myers

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$341k
Typical market rent
$1,745/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
102.3
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.