Career Center

At PAWS, we work every day to end pet homelessness and to provide excellent care to community pets who would not otherwise receive it. In doing so, we save lives who would not have a chance otherwise, and help families stay together. We are looking for a diversely talented, team-oriented, full-time veterinarian who’s ready to help propel the historic progress we are making in Philadelphia by performing high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN), caring for rescued animals in our shelters, and seeing community pets in our busy wellness clinic.

Veterinarians are ambassadors of PAWS’ mission, upholding the integrity of the organization and working collaboratively with other staff members and volunteers to ensure smooth operations of our shelter and clinics. This position is for PAWS’ shelter/clinic located 2900 Grays Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19146.

We think you’ll be a great fit if you:

• Want to play an integral role in caring for the 2,400 or more homeless animals that PAWS rescues yearly, many of whom have medical needs.
• Enjoy working with pet owners to find affordable solutions to keep their animals healthy and as part of their families.
• Are team-oriented and want to work with PAWS’ medical and non-medical staff to care for the pets and people we serve.
• Can work fast and efficiently without compromising care.
• Like teaching and guiding technicians, veterinary students, and support staff.   

The ideal candidate has experience in HQHVSN and will be able to perform surgeries, see appointments in the wellness clinic, and direct treatment for PAWS’ shelter and foster animals.

The Surgical Experience at PAWS:
PAWS Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics provide sterilization services for animals owned by community members, feral or stray cats through “trap-neuter-release” programs, and in-house shelter animals. Additional soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries are performed as needed on foster and in-house shelter animals. The ideal candidate will be able to:

• Spay and neuter a minimum of 20 animals a day, generally 60-70% cats and 30-40% dogs. High-volume surgical experience is preferred but not required; training will be provided to a candidate who shows promising surgical skills.
• Perform, or be interested in learning how to perform, a variety of surgeries for our rescued animals, including but not limited to: limb and tail amputations; various soft tissue surgeries; enucleations; eyelid repairs; cystotomies; FHOs; hernia repairs; wound care; basic dental services, and more.
• Perform preoperative examinations on animals and determine suitability for anesthesia and surgery.
• Work as a team with other veterinarians and technicians assigned to surgery on any given day, as well as with front desk staff and non-medical shelter staff.
• Provide oversight on logging anesthetic drugs and maintaining controlled substance logs.
• Demonstrate excellent leadership skills and ability to manage the surgical flow, ensuring animal and human safety.

The Wellness Clinic Experience at PAWS:
PAWS’ Clinics also provide a means for pet owners and animal rescue organizations in Philadelphia to access affordable, high-quality, basic veterinary services for their dogs and cats. Clinics are equipped with the medications and resources to handle routine outpatient cases including wellness exams, skin conditions, upper respiratory infections, gastrointestinal disease, non-emergent urinary tract conditions, minor soft-tissue injuries, and other preventative care. Thanks to grants and other strategic partnerships, PAWS is able to assist pet owners who experience financial barriers to getting their pet seen or medications filled. Our goal is to be a trusted resource for pet owners in our community who would not otherwise be able to access or afford care, so that they can keep their cherished pets as part of their families.

The Shelter and Foster Animal Care Experience at PAWS:
PAWS houses 50-100 rescued animals in our main shelter/clinic location at any given time, and our robust foster care program places over 1,000 animals into temporary foster homes yearly. PAWS veterinarians assigned to surgery and the wellness clinic work as a team to provide daily care for this population through established walk-in hours for foster animals, routine and sick exams for in-house animals, and surgical care as needed. PAWS veterinary staff have access to in-house digital radiography, dental radiography, ultrasound, and other diagnostic tools which allow us to provide a high level of care to homeless pets in need. PAWS’ incredible shelter medicine, foster, and adoption programs result in a “save rate” / ”live release rate” of over 97%.

Benefits of PAWS employment: 

• Competitive salary and retention bonus.
• Potential eligbility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
• 9am-5pm schedule, with no on-call duties. 
• Medical, dental, and prescription insurance coverage.
• 401(k) plan with employer matching.
• Major holidays off (the shelter and clinic are closed).
• Paid time off (PTO).
• Yearly Continuing Education allowance, and up to four paid days off to attend conferences/participate in CE.
• Veterinary Medical Malpractice Liability coverage.
• VIN membership.
• Pennsylvania bi-annual license renewal fees.
• Free and heavily discounted clinic services, lab work, medications, and food for your personal pets.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Voluntary benefits (short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance).

Educational and Licensure Requirements:

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or equivalent from an accredited university.
• Valid Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Veterinary license with no history of complaints or disciplinary action required.
• Experience in shelter setting and performing quality high-volume spay/neuter surgery strongly preferred.
• Two+ years work experience in general practice or shelter medicine strongly preferred.

Additional Job Skills Required:

• A self-starter who is organized, innovative, flexible, and passionate about PAWS’ goals and objectives.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills with strong attention to detail.
• The ideal candidate is outgoing, patient, empathetic, mature, and able to get along well with a culturally diverse community.
• Good judgment and strong problem-solving ability, identifying tasks that need to be accomplished and prioritizing appropriately, and working independently with minimal supervision and direction.
• Ability to manage and accommodate varied work assignments and schedules.
• Comfort and experience with Google and Microsoft applications strongly preferred. PAWS uses a variety of web-based software that veterinarians must be comfortable learning to use on a daily basis for managing client care.

About Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society

PAWS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless and at-risk pets. PAWS is the city’s largest rescue partner and provider of affordable, basic veterinary care for pet owners and rescue organizations that cannot otherwise access it. Each year, PAWS finds loving homes for thousands of animals in need, and enables thousands of families to keep their cherished pets. PAWS is working to make Philadelphia a no-kill city where every savable pet is guaranteed a home.

Connections working at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society