Description

If you're a pediatric occupational therapist or COTA who loves the outdoors, this job is for you!

At Outdoor Kids OT, nature is our OT “clinic” for kids.

In this position, you’ll work mostly outdoors providing group and individual pediatric OT services. We also provide some services for local schools that are aligned with our nature-loving philosophy.

We’re currently hiring full-time (32-40 hours per week) OTs or COTAs for our SAN FRANCISCO and OAKLAND, California locations for a start date in late May / early June 2026.

Please carefully review the following list of qualities to decide if you’re a good fit for our team. We're looking for pediatric OTs or COTAs who:

• Have 3-5 years of experience as a licensed pediatric OT practitioner. (Truly exceptional new grads may be considered.)
• Can think on your feet to quickly solve problems in the moment.
• Has energy and endurance to run, climb, hike, and play with children for several hours outdoors!
• Truly enjoys being outdoors in all kinds of weather. You will get muddy, wet, cold, hot, etc. cause that’s how nature works.
• Ideally, has some experience leading small groups of children; many of our services are provided in a group format and this is very different than treating 1 child at a time.
• Loves thinking creatively and would enjoy planning how to blend nature into therapy activities to address children’s goals.
• Can skillfully facilitate children’s development of self-regulation by using a relationship-based approach to behavior.
• Is confident in clearly communicating the value and rationale for your services to parents, caregivers, and other professionals. You need strong clinical reasoning, clear verbal communication, and solid documentation skills for this role.
• Has a growth mindset and is willing to be honest and admit when you’re wrong and ask questions, viewing failure as an opportunity for growth.
• Has high executive function skills, using strong organizational systems to manage documentation, timely communication with families and team members, and progress reporting.
• Has a flexible and positive attitude to work with a team.
• Has the ability to stay calm amidst chaos and in situations where the outcome can’t be controlled.
• Enjoys mentoring fieldwork students and pre-OT students.

In this role, you’ll be mentored by experts in nature-based pediatric occupational therapy. Our founder, Laura Park Figueroa, created the ConTiGO (Connection & Transformation in the Great Outdoors) Approach; as a new employee at OKOT, you get free access to the ConTiGO program ($2,300 value) and 30 hours of continuing education (3.0 AOTA-approved CEUs) in nature-based therapy as part of your onboarding training.

All positions are paid hourly. OTR/L pay is $52.75-63.00/hour ($109,720-$131,040 per year for full-time). Pay is based on years of experience as a licensed OT practitioner. COTA pay is $34.30 – $40.95 per hour ($71,344 – $85,176/year for full-time).

Full-time employees (>32 hours per week) receive the following benefits:

FOUR weeks paid time off yearly
Medical/dental/vision benefits
Chiropractic and acupuncture benefits
Life insurance benefits 
State Disability Insurance (Short Term Disability & Paid Family leave)
CalSavers retirement plan
Worker’s compensation insurance
Employer portion of social security and Medicare taxes paid
Flexibility to work from home to complete paperwork and other tasks outside of direct treatment time

We plan to hire by April 15 for a start date in mid-May or early June at the latest.

We will review applications on a rolling basis and reach out to schedule interviews with selected outstanding candidates. Please apply on our website at 

outdoorkidsot.com/jobs

Requirements

Job Requirements (Physical Demands & Work Environment)
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.