Principal Occupational Therapist

Camden Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working opportunities

Interest free loans

Staff networks

Career development and training

Wellbeing support and activities

Job summary

Camden Council is seeking a Principal Adults Occupational Therapist to provide strategic and clinical leadership across the OT service. This senior role shapes and influences occupational therapy and adult social care, promoting innovative, strengths‑based approaches that focus on what matters to people and help residents live independently.

The post leads a team of OTs and Advanced Practitioners, working with partners to drive service development and better outcomes for residents while aligning

Qualifications

• Fully qualified Occupational Therapist with current HCPC registration.
• Significant post-qualification experience within statutory adult social care or health setting.
• Experience undertaking complex assessments, risk assessment and management, and care and support planning.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and clinical leadership to the Occupational Therapy service.
• Champion excellent, innovative, strengths-based practice that starts with what matters to people.
• Shape the service to maximise independence and build resilience for residents.
• Lead and drive service improvement and performance across adult social care.
• Collaborate with social workers, health colleagues and partners to embed strengths-based practice.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

HCPC registration

Job description

Job Description

Principal Adults Occupational Therapist (Job Ref: 4316)

Salary: £72,746

Grade: Level 6 Zone 1

Location: 5 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG/Hybrid

Hours per week: 30

Contract Type: Permanent / Part Time

Closing Date: Monday 2nd October 2026 at 23:59

Interview: Week commencing 16th October 2026

Camden is changing on the inside to make life better for everyone. Our residents and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We're home to the most important conversations happening today and we're making radical social change a reality, so that nobody gets left behind.

What You'll Be Doing / How You'll Be Involved

A new role. A new opportunity. A chance to shape the future of Occupational Therapy and strengths-based Adult Social Care in Camden.

Camden has created a new Principal Adults Occupational Therapist role, offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced OT leader to shape and influence Occupational Therapy and the wider Adult Social Care offer.

As Camden's principal professional OT lead, you will provide strategic and clinical leadership to our Occupational Therapy service, championing excellent, innovative, and strengths-based practice that starts with what matters to people, builds on their strengths and supports residents to live independent and fulfilling lives. You will play a key role in shaping how Occupational Therapy contributes to Camden's What Matters approach, working alongside social workers, health colleagues and wider partners to ensure strengths-based practice is embedded across assessments, interventions, and decision-making. You will help develop approaches that maximise independence, build resilience and make the best use of people's strengths, networks, communities and resources.

Leading and driving service innovation at the front door of adult social care and a team of Occupational Therapists and Advanced Practitioners, you will champion professional excellence, and innovative practice across adult social care. You will work collaboratively across the Council and with Health, Housing and partners across Northwest Central London to influence practice, develop innovative solutions and improve outcomes for residents.

This is a genuinely new and influential role. You will have the opportunity to shape the future of the service while contributing to the continued development of a modern, collaborative, and strengths-based Adult Social Care service in Camden.

Come and help us build a future where Occupational Therapy enables people, strengthens communities and helps everyone thrive in Camden.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and will require an Enhanced DBS. Please note Camden also offers the DBS update service.

All About You

To find out more about what it is like to work at Camden, meet some of our People by visiting 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/our-stories'.

To be considered for this exciting opportunity, candidates must be a fully qualified Occupational Therapist with current HCPC registration and substantial post-qualification experience within a statutory adult social care or health setting. This experience should include undertaking complex assessments, risk assessment and management, care and support planning, and working with adults with diverse and often complex needs.

The successful candidate will be an experienced Occupational Therapist with significant expertise in adult social care, strong professional leadership capabilities, and a genuine passion for enabling people to achieve the outcomes that matter most to them. You will possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, alongside a proven ability to drive service improvement, enhance performance, and promote a culture of excellence.

In addition, you will have a comprehensive understanding of relevant national policy, legislation, research and emerging best practice. You will be confident in translating this knowledge into innovative approaches and meaningful service developments that improve outcomes for residents and support the continuous evolution of the service.

If you are ready to make your mark, shape something new and help Camden put strengths-based practice at the heart of Adult Social Care, we would love to hear from you.

If you'd like to have an informal chat regarding the post, please contact Charlotte Spindler via [e-mail]

We strongly encourage applicants to write their applications themselves. While we understand the growing use of AI tools, we believe that personal reflection and authenticity are key to a strong application. Please avoid using AI-generated content when applying.

What We Offer

At Camden, you'll receive a host of benefits including:

• 27 days annual leave for new starters, rising to 31 days after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Interest free loans
• Access to our incredible staff networks
• Career development and training
• Wellbeing support and activities

Visit 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/staff-benefits' for more details.

Inclusion and Belonging

At Camden, we want every colleague to feel they belong and can thrive. We welcome applications from all parts of our community, and particularly encourage people from Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Heritage communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodiverse people, survivors of domestic abuse, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds or with care experience. We know that different voices and perspectives make us stronger, and we are committed to providing the support, adjustments and flexibility people need to succeed.

To discover more about Camden and our commitment towards diversity, equality and safeguarding, please visit https://www.camdenjobs.co.uk/inclusion-and-diversity

Asking for Adjustments

Camden is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application, interview or assessment process, including providing information in an alternative format, please contact us on 020 7974 6655, at [e-mail] or post to 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG.

Anonymised Application - in keeping with Camden's commitment to inclusion the recruitment to this role is anonymised and supports the objective of reducing the impact of unconscious bias.