Scientist Veterinary jobs

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is responsible for ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of veterinary medicines in the UK.

We have two vacancies for Senior Efficacy Assessors.

This exciting and interesting job puts you at the heart of authorising veterinary medicines in the UK. Your work will play a key role in assuring the safety and efficacy of animal medicines and will significantly contribute to the VMD meeting its published standards.

You will be a senior veterinary assessor within the Efficacy Team, one of our specialist teams within the Pharmaceutical Section, which in turn is part of the VMD’s Authorisations Division.

You will be responsible for assessing efficacy and target species safety data for applications for:

• New marketing authorisations for pharmaceutical veterinary medicines.
• Variations to existing marketing authorisations.
• Veterinary aspects of animal test certificates to conduct clinical field trials.
• Collaborating with members of the Authorisations Division to achieve the Division’s overall objectives.

Qualifications
You must hold a degree in veterinary medicine.

Memberships
You must be a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, or be eligible to become a member.

We’re looking for you to have:

• A good understanding of current animal health and topical veterinary issues and you must have experience – or an awareness – of clinical veterinary work.
• Experience – or be able to demonstrate a viable approach to – successfully managing a team of professionals.
• Relevant experience of pharmaceutical veterinary medicinal products, gained within the pharmaceutical industry and/or within a Regulatory Authority, specifically you have experience of:
• - Regulatory authorisation systems for pharmaceutical veterinary medicinal products- Preparing scientific reports relating to the evaluation of benefit/risk of these products- Applying your analytical and problem-solving skills quickly to assimilate scientific and other information, identifying issues, drawing conclusions, and making recommendationsWe’re looking for someone that:
• Can communicate complex veterinary issues, in writing and face-to-face, with clarity and conviction in the face of tough negotiation or challenge.
• Can prioritise continuous self-learning and development – identifying those areas that you need to develop to achieve your future objectives.
• Can provide scientific training.
• Is proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook, able to navigate the internet and learn the use of the VMD’s IT systems.

How to Apply
If you're interested in applying for this position, we would love to hear from you! Please submit your application via the Civil Service Jobs website, where you will find a full job description including salary details.

The closing date for applications is 26 October 2026.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is an Equal Opportunity employer.
No Recruitment Agency, Newspaper or Publication calls please.

Pay: £64,015.00 per year

Work Location: In person