The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required have also been included. Workplace role categories describe our approach to workplace attendance
Salary: £61,984 - £68,289
Contractual Hours: 36.815 hours per week
Basis: Fixed Term 1 role fixed term until 31 March 2027 and one role fixed term until 31 December 2026
Workplace category: Hybrid
Attachments: Job Information Pack
We are looking for enthusiastic Official Veterinarians to fulfil two Portal Official Veterinarian vacancies, working for the London Port Health Authority (LPHA) in the various ports covering both north and south of the river Thames.
Portal Official Veterinarian practice a wide range of imported food control work at London Gateway, one of the largest Border Control Posts in Great Britain and at Tilbury Docks, Tilbury 2, Purfleet and Thamesport which all cater for a variety of bulk and containerised traffic. The exit from the EU means you will deal with existing third country imports and European cargo, with a wide range of foodstuffs. Portal Official Veterinarian staff operate in multi-skilled teams comprising of Port Health Officers, Official Veterinarians and Port Health Technical Officers.
The week day shifts are on an 8 week rotating shift pattern of early, day and late shifts since the service operates from 0600 until 2200 Monday – Friday, with weekends (Saturday and Sunday), once every 8 weeks from 0800 until 1615.
You will be a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and a qualified red and white meat OV and Portal OV.
You should be able to communicate effectively with agents and importers, providing excellent customer service skills and displaying the values and behaviours of our organisation. You will work well as part of a team, as well as being confident working independently, able to prioritise and organise your workload and that of the team. You will be proficient in the use of Microsoft office suite and training will be given for Port specific systems.
Candidates will need to have a full driving licence and their own transport. Casual user allowance rates are paid for eligible work journeys
If you are interested in working within the environment of Port Health and the exciting opportunities that the role of an Portal Official Veterinarian, we look forward to hearing from you.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Lisa Pigeon on lisa.pigeon@cityoflondon.gov.uk
The City of London Corporation is currently undergoing a programme to ensure that our pay and reward practices are competitive and equitable across the whole organisation, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the work that we do.
Closing date: 12 noon on 9 March 2026
Interviews will be held on 17 and 18 March 2026
To apply online please click the Apply online button below.
Alternatively, please contact 020 7332 3978 (24 hr answerphone) quoting reference number OENV1129 if you experience any difficulties. A minicom service for the hearing impaired is available on 020 7332 3732.
The City of London Corporation is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
We reserve the right to close the advert earlier should we receive a high number of applications.
Because our roles are so varied, we don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ policy for workplace attendance. How many days a week you’ll be required to attend your workplace will depend on the requirements of your role. It’s important that you understand the requirements before applying to ensure you are able to meet them. We are committed to considering requests to work flexibly and job share. Requests will be considered by the recruiting manager in line with our policies and business needs.
For more information on our categories for workplace attendance, please view our guide here.
We will be reviewing this policy and approach at regular intervals to ensure we’re meeting our attendance needs.