Description
Full-time (32+ hrs/wk) or part-time outdoor OT position in Oakland, CA. 12-month or 10-month (summers off) contract options.
If you're a pediatric OT who loves the outdoors, this is the job for you!
Most pediatric OT jobs look pretty similar. You work in a clinic or school, you see kids one at a time, you document, repeat. At Outdoor Kids OT, your clinic is the local park. You’ll run groups in the woods, do individual sessions on the trail, and watch kids do things in nature that they flat-out won't do indoors. Since 2015, OKOT has built our entire clinical approach around connection with nature and others, and we love it!
WHAT YOUR DAYS LOOK LIKE
We believe in giving therapists maximal flexibility over their own schedule. A typical day might go like this: you spend the morning planning sessions, then go pull supplies from our shared supply shed, and take care of documentation from wherever works for you (a coffee shop, your couch, a park bench). In the afternoon, you're in the local park running a few individual sessions or a therapy group, using trails, trees, and open space as your clinical environment.
Your caseload will be a mix of outdoor small groups (5-6 children) and individual sessions. Groups are the heart of our model and they require a different clinical skill set than one-on-one therapy (more dynamic, more on-your-feet, and more fun!)
You won't ever be alone. You'll have a dedicated site lead therapist as your clinical mentor, real-time team access via WhatsApp, monthly all-staff meetings, monthly in-person skill-building and peer connection sessions, plus ongoing professional development opportunities for advanced clinical reasoning and growth as a therapist.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR OTs WHO:
- Hold an active OTR/L license in California, or have one in progress
- Have 3–5 years of experience as a licensed OT practitioner (truly exceptional new grads may be considered)
- Have the physical energy to run, hike, climb, and play outdoors for hours, in all weather, including the muddy, cold, and unpredictable kind
- Can think quickly on their feet and stay calm when things go sideways
- Have strong clinical reasoning and clear communication with kids, families, and colleagues
- Can support children's self-regulation using a relationship-based approach
- Bring solid documentation habits and organizational systems to manage a full caseload
- Have experience leading small groups of children
- Embrace a growth mindset, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and treating failure as data
- Enjoy mentoring fieldwork or pre-OT students
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN
When you join OKOT, you get immediate access to training in the ConTiGO Approach at no cost to you, including free access to the full ConTiGO training program (a $2,300 value) and 30 hours of AOTA-approved continuing education (3.0 CEUs) built into your onboarding. Ongoing CE is a standard benefit, not a one-time perk. You'll be mentored by OTs who helped build this field, with full clinical support from day one.
COMPENSATION
All positions are paid hourly per California law. We pay you for every minute you work- admin, documentation, planning, managing supplies, phone calls, etc; all hours are paid at your hourly rate, NOT a lower admin rate for admin tasks.
Base pay is $52.75–$63.00/hour depending on years of licensed OT experience, for annual pay of $109,720–$131,040 on a Monday–Friday schedule. Saturday hours are available at 1.5x pay, and therapists who take Saturday shifts can bring their total annual compensation to $114,888–$137,088. All full-time therapists receive guaranteed annual raises and are eligible for yearly bonuses up to $3,000 based on performance.
10-month contracts are available for therapists who want summers off, with June and July fully off and the same complete benefits package.
BENEFITS (full-time, 32+ hours per week)
- 4 weeks paid time off
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Chiropractic and acupuncture benefits
- Life insurance
- State Disability Insurance, including short-term disability and paid family leave
- CalSavers retirement plan
- Free continuing education
- Flexibility to complete documentation and non-direct-care tasks from home or anywhere that works for you
HOW TO APPLY
We review applications on a rolling basis and will reach out to schedule interviews with outstanding candidates. We keep all applications on file for future openings.
Requirements
To successfully perform this role, candidates must be able to:
Work outdoors for extended periods of time (2–6+ hours per day) in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, cold, rain, wind, and mud.
Navigate uneven and natural terrain such as trails, hills, grass, sand, mud, and wooded areas while maintaining awareness of group safety.
Physically engage with children through activities such as running, climbing, hiking, balancing, lifting, and playing.
Lift, carry, and assist children and equipment up to approximately 40–50 lbs as needed.
Maintain high energy and stamina to actively supervise and participate in sessions that require constant movement, quick transitions, and sustained engagement.
Quickly respond to safety needs, including the ability to move, run or change direction quickly, assist a child who is falling or dysregulated, and maintain visual supervision of multiple children at once.
Facilitate and manage small groups of children (typically 4–6 per group), including maintaining physical proximity, tracking multiple moving children, and ensuring safety in an open outdoor environment.
Use fine and gross motor skills to set up activities, handle materials, write or type documentation, and demonstrate movements.
Maintain situational awareness in dynamic environments, including monitoring environmental risks (weather, terrain, wildlife, other people).
Regulate your own nervous system and remain calm, grounded, and responsive in unpredictable, fast-paced, and sometimes chaotic situations.
Communicate clearly and effectively in outdoor environments where noise, distance, or distractions may be present.
Transport materials (therapy supplies, outdoor gear, etc.) to and from session locations.
Drive to and between session locations, including parks, schools, and community sites.
Demonstrate strong attention to detail and executive functioning skills to manage documentation, communication, scheduling tasks, and administrative responsibilities in a timely and organized manner.
