Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Job description

Pediatric Occupational Therapist — Center for Developing Minds

Tired of delivering OT in 30-minute blocks dictated by a district calendar, standard goals, and paperwork that eats the time you'd rather spend with kids?

This role is different.

At the Center for Developing Minds, you won't be squeezed into the public school system's model of service delivery. You'll have the independence to actually build your practice: design your own curriculum, invent interventions that fit the child in front of you instead of a template, and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the developmental and behavioral pediatricians, therapists, and educators who make up our interdisciplinary team — in real time, not just at a quarterly meeting.

We're looking for a skilled, compassionate Occupational Therapist to work with children ages 1–10, particularly those with developmental disabilities or behavioral challenges. This is individualized, evidence-based, play-driven care — and you'll have real ownership over how it's delivered.

What You'll Do

Individualized Intervention

Provide 1:1 and small-group OT — including feeding therapy, sensory integration, toileting support, adaptive skills intervention, and other areas within your expertise

Adapt lesson plans to meet individual needs in real time, not on a fixed script

Group Intervention

Lead weekly small-group sessions (2–5 children) targeting social communication, emotional regulation, behavior, attention, and play

Collaborate with classroom aides supporting sensory, cognitive, behavioral, and communication needs

Assessment & Treatment Planning

Conduct formal OT evaluations and informal assessments across cognitive, social-emotional, motor, communication, and adaptive domains

Build treatment plans that integrate the child's family, school, and community context

Adaptive Skills

Support toileting, feeding, dressing, and other essential daily living skills

Family & Community Collaboration

Communicate with families and schools, attend IEP/504 meetings, and coordinate care across settings

Team Support & Training

Supervise and mentor classroom aides in your areas of expertise

What You Bring

Master's degree or higher in Occupational Therapy

Valid California Occupational Therapy license

At least 3 years working with children with developmental needs, including 2 years focused on autism spectrum disorder in children under 6

Experience running therapy groups for children or parents (preferred)

Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills

Ability to stay regulated and respond safely to a dysregulated child's emotional or aggressive outburst

CPR certification

Comfort with EHR systems (CHARM experience a plus)

Physical readiness: frequent floor-to-standing transitions, lifting/moving/pushing up to 50 lbs, and the stamina to keep pace with young children

Why This Role Is Different

Public school OT roles often mean rigid scheduling, minimal cross-disciplinary contact, and little room to innovate. Here, you're embedded in a genuinely interdisciplinary clinical team — physicians, therapists, and educators working under one roof — with the creative latitude to design interventions that reflect your clinical judgment, not a compliance checklist. If you've been looking for a place where your expertise actually shapes the program instead of fitting into someone else's, this is it.

Job Type: Full-time

If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and their families, we’d love to hear from you. We value diversity and are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds.

Learn more about our mission at

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Worksite address

los gatos, CA, 95032, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.