Optometrist Early Career Opportunity

Clarkopto; Kirkwall; On-site; GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A supportive optometry practice in Kirkwall is seeking a newly qualified optometrist to join their team. This role offers a competitive salary of £55,000, opportunities for clinical development with diverse patient care, and structured placements with local NHS. You will benefit from a supportive environment alongside experienced colleagues, enhancing your clinical skills while enjoying a picturesque lifestyle in Orkney. Relocation support, accommodation, and a completion bonus are included, ensuring a fulfilling start to your career.

Benefits

Help with relocation costs

Completion bonus of £5,000

Accommodation provided

Two fully paid return flights per year

Flexible contract terms

Qualifications

• Newly qualified optometrist seeking to develop clinical skills in a supportive environment.
• Ability to manage a wide variety of patient conditions.
• Willingness to collaborate closely with secondary-care specialists.

Responsibilities

• See a diverse range of conditions and manage them from presentation to resolution.
• Follow structured placements with local NHS hospital for broader ophthalmology experience.
• Work alongside experienced colleagues with immediate support.

Skills

Recognition and management of pathology

Clinical reasoning

Adaptability

Problem-solving

Job description

Just qualified and ready to take on a challenge thatll grow your confidence fast? Our Client an Optometrist in Kirkwall, Orkney, offers a career‑defining first role for an ambitious optometrist who wants to develop real clinical skills in a supportive, hands‑on environment, all while living somewhere truly special.

Why start your career in Orkney?

Orkney offers the kind of early‑career experience that’s hard to find anywhere else. In a single‑practice island community, our client provides care across the full spectrum of patient needs, from routine exams to acute presentations and complex pathology. Our location means we play a key role in managing conditions locally, working closely with highly supportive secondary‑care specialists.

For newly qualified optometrists, this creates an exceptional learning environment:

• You’ll see a wider variety of conditions than in most early‑career roles, helping you quickly build confidence in recognising and managing pathology.
• You’ll follow patients through from first presentation to resolution, gaining a depth of continuity that strengthens your clinical reasoning.
• You’ll have the opportunity for regular placements with the local NHS hospital (around one day per month) with structured support to gain broader experience of ophthalmology.
• You’ll develop adaptability and problem‑solving skills that are the hallmark of strong, independent clinicians.
• You’ll have autonomy when you’re ready, but never isolation. Unlike many remote or rural posts, you’ll always be working alongside experienced colleagues, with immediate access to support and second opinions whenever you need them.
• You’ll gain hands‑on experience that accelerates your development far beyond what’s typical in a busy, high‑street environment.

But what truly sets Orkney apart is the community itself. Our patients are warm, appreciative, and often families we have cared for across generations. That trust adds a uniquely rewarding dimension to your clinical work, one where your decisions matter, your care is valued, and your contribution is genuinely felt.

This is an environment where newly qualified optometrists grow quickly, broaden their skills, and build solid clinical confidence in a supported, encouraging setting.

Life beyond the practice

Orkney has a thriving community of young professionals, from fellow healthcare workers to creative freelancers, engineers, and teachers. Whether you’re into wild swimming, gym sessions, live music, island sports, photography, or just good pub chats, there’s a brilliant social scene here if you know where to look (and our client will happily show you!).

You’ll Also Enjoy

• Stunning coastal walks
• Regular events and festivals
• Great cafés, bakeries, and breweries
• Clubs, gigs, galleries, and sports leagues

What We Offer

• £55,000 salary (Negotiable)
• Help with relocation costs
• Completion Bonus (£5,000 bonus paid upon completion of full years work)
• 1‑year fixed‑term contract, with the option to extend
• Structured NHS placement opportunity in partnership with the local hospital
• Accommodation provided for the year
• Two fully paid return flights per year for visiting friends/family
• Flexible terms, including support with buying out pre‑reg tie‑in contracts if you’re currently tied to a role you don’t wish to continue in
• Modern tech including OCT imaging
• Supportive, friendly team who love what they do

If you’re ready to kick‑start your career, build your skills, and live somewhere you’ll never forget, we’d love to hear from you.