Senior Occupational Therapist

Otnzwna; Palmerston North; Hybrid; NZD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4 weeks holiday per year

Training and development support

Travel to home/school visits

Job summary

Little Stars SMART Centre in Palmerston North invites applications from a Senior Occupational Therapist to work with children in a transdisciplinary team. You will assess, plan, deliver and evaluate tailored paediatric therapy programmes for ages 6 months to 18 years, with outreach to home and school settings.

The role is full-time, on-site, with a supportive lead and a commitment to family-centred care. A background in paediatrics and collaboration with families and professionals is essential.

Qualifications

• Registered Occupational Therapist with paediatric experience.
• Experience in a transdisciplinary team is desirable.
• Some travel to homes and schools as part of service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, deliver and evaluate therapy for children aged 6 months to 18 years.
• Collaborate with a transdisciplinary team including therapists, families and staff.
• Deliver programmes at Little Stars SMART Centre and extend skills to pre-school, school and home settings.
• Contribute to development of services and family/professional training.

Job description

• Job ID: Paediatric Occupational Therapist


• Job Type: Full time


• Workplace Type: On-Site


• Job Duration: 12-month renewable contract


• Min Education: Occupational Therapy Degree


• Company Name For Job: Little Stars SMART Centre


• Position Title: Senior Occupational Therapist


• Required Travel: Some home and school visits


• Salary: Range between $70,000 - $95,000 per annum


• Classification: Paediatrics


• Scope of Practice:
  
  
  • Activities of Daily Living - Assessment and Treatment
  
  
  • Assessment and Rehabilitation
  
  
  • Child Heath
  
  
  • Home and Community Environment assessment
  
  
  • Learning and Development
  
  
  • Rehabilitation

An exciting opportunity is available for a dynamic,enthusiastic, Occupational Therapist to work with children at the Little StarsCentre in Palmerston North. Experience in paediatrics is preferable.

Little Stars provides intensive therapy for children withdisabilities, aged 6 months to 18 years, and is a warm, friendly,centre-based service providing integrated support for children and theirfamilies.

The Occupational Therapist will be working as part of adedicated Transdisciplinary team which includes other Occupational Therapists,Physiotherapists, Music Therapist/Conductor (Conductive Educationqualification), Speech Language Therapist, Therapy Assistants and families.

The role will include assessment, programme planning,delivery and evaluation for children aged 6 months to 18 years. It is aclient-centred service where whanau are an integral part of thetransdisciplinary team approach.

Programmes will be delivered based at Little Stars SMARTCentre, but the Occupational Therapist will have a key role in ensuring that the skills taught aretransferrable into pre-school, school and home settings. This may require theOccupational Therapist to do some outreach and community related work.

The Centre also provides specific training courses forfamilies and other professionals, and the Occupational Therapist will beexpected to contribute to the development of this service.

Our service is guided by the principles of Te Tiriti oWaitangi, which help inform our practices and interactions with people andwhanau we support.

Ko wai koe (About you)

Little Stars SMART Centre is a charitable trust, providingspecialist programmes tailored to meet the needs of children and their familyin an intensive way. Our client base includes children with motor disorders(Cerebral Palsy, Genetic Syndromes, Dyspraxia and sensory motor challenges), aswell as sensory processing challenges, Autism, ADHD and Global DevelopmentalDelay.

Our services include both individual and group sessions -parent and baby, toddler groups, preschool programmes and ongoing support forchildren of school age.

Little Stars is part of the charity The Planet Ryan FamilyFoundation which provides support to young people aged 18 and above. TheOccupational Therapist may be required to provide someadvisory/assessment/programme planning and evaluation into this adult service.

OFFER

A full-time post, starting end of 2026/beginning of 2027.The successful applicant will be supported by our Clinical Lead who is a veryexperienced Paediatric Occupational Therapist and by another OccupationalTherapist who is a full-time member of staff.

Attendance at extramural training courses to extendknowledge and skills is valued by the organisation and will be supported asmuch as possible.

Standard holiday leave of 4 weeks per annum plus allstatutory days. The organisation is very keen to reward dedication and islooking at having some additional days leave in recognition of the intensity ofthe work and length of service.

Ngā huanga o tēnei mahi (The benefits of this position)

- Great team to work with

- Wonderful children and families

- Opportunity to work intensively with children and theirfamilies and see real progress being made

- Opportunity to develop new ideas and support the growth ofthe organisation

- Scope for career advancement and developing managementskills

- Opportunity to make a real difference in the community

Further information about Little Stars can be found on our website Little Stars