Occupation: Health and allied health

Location: Melbourne - Southern suburbs

Reference:

Selection Criteria

- Mental Health Occupational Therapy Knowledge and Practice

Demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience in the provision of Occupational Therapy services to children and/or young people with complex mental health, emotional regulation, behavioural and wellbeing needs, including an understanding of how sensory, environmental, psychosocial and functional factors can influence a student's participation, engagement and behaviour.

- Assessment, Intervention and Student Re-engagement

Demonstrated ability to undertake relevant assessment, identify barriers to participation and develop, implement and evaluate evidence-informed Occupational Therapy interventions that support emotional regulation, behaviour, wellbeing, school engagement and successful participation in classroom and learning environments. This may include individual intervention, small-group programs, environmental modifications and classroom-based strategies.

- Capacity Building and Collaborative Practice

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with students, families/carers, teachers, Education Support staff, Allied Health professionals, Wellbeing staff and relevant external services, including the ability to translate clinical knowledge into practical strategies, coaching and professional learning that builds the capacity of school staff to support students within their everyday environments.

- Initiative, Autonomy and Program Development
- Evidence-Based Practice, Evaluation and Professional Development

Role

This is an opportunity to work differently. Rather than operating from a traditional clinic‑based model, you will work directly within the environments where students experience challenges, such as classrooms, playgrounds and across the broader school community.

Your focus will be on understanding the factors impacting a student's regulation, behaviour, engagement and participation, then working alongside the student, their family, teachers, Education Support staff and other professionals to create practical supports that help them successfully engage in school.

A significant focus of the role will be supporting students experiencingcomplex mental health, behavioural and wellbeing needs , including students who have become disengaged from learning or are experiencing difficulty accessing the classroom environment.

Why you'll love working with us

We want to provide our Occupational Therapists with the time, resources and professional autonomy to do great work.

This role offers the benefits and security of working within the Victorian Government school system, combined with a level of clinical autonomy and resourcing that allows you to genuinely develop your practice.

Competitive Victorian Government salary

The position will be classified at Education Support Class, Level 1, Range 4 (ES 1-4) under the applicable Victorian Government Schools Agreement, with salary determined according to the successful applicant's classification and experience.

School-based working hours

Enjoy working predominantly within school hours, providing greater consistency and work‑life balance than many traditional community, NDIS or private‑practice caseloads.

Generous leave and paid school holidays

Enjoy the leave entitlements available through the Victorian Government school system, including paid school holiday periods, providing a working calendar that is difficult to match in many clinical settings.

Dedicated therapy spaces

You'll have access to dedicated spaces for individual therapy, small‑group interventions, assessment, planning and collaborative work while still having the flexibility to work directly within classrooms and other school environments.

Work as part of a genuine multidisciplinary team

You'll work alongside a multidisciplinary team of Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education professionals, with opportunities for regular collaboration, shared problem‑solving and multidisciplinary intervention.

Dedicated career development support

Continued professional growth is important to us. You'll have access to a professional development budget to support relevant training, courses and development opportunities.

Autonomy to create and innovate

This isn't a role where every hour of your week is dictated by billable appointments.

You'll have the autonomy to manage your caseload and referrals while identifying opportunities to develop new programs, staff training, group interventions, resources and whole‑school initiatives that improve outcomes for our students.

Part-time considered





We are very open to discussing full time / part‑time arrangements for the right applicant.

More than a traditional Therapy Role

We are looking for an OT who wants to have an impact beyond individual therapy sessions.

You will have considerable autonomy to identify areas of need and develop responses that benefit individual students, classrooms and the broader school.

This could include developing:

- regulation programs
- classroom-based mental health supports
- behaviour and engagement interventions
- staff professional learning
- small‑group therapeutic programs
- environmental modifications
- resources and frameworks for classroom teams
- new approaches to emerging student wellbeing needs

If you identify an prospect to improve student participation or staff capability, we want you to have the initiative to explore it.

About you

We are looking for an Occupational Therapist who is:

- Passionate about supporting children and young people with complex needs.
- Skilled or experienced in mental health, emotional regulation, behaviour support and/or psychosocial intervention.
- Able to understand behaviour through an occupational, functional and environmental lens.
- Confident working collaboratively with teachers, Education Support staff, families and multidisciplinary professionals.
- Comfortable working with students individually, in groups and within their natural classroom environment.
- Able to translate clinical knowledge into practical strategies that school staff can implement every day.
- Highly organised and capable of independently managing referrals, caseload priorities and intervention planning.
- Proactive, creative and willing to develop new programs rather than waiting for work to be allocated.
- Motivated by capacity building helping the adults around a student become more confident and effective in supporting them.

Experience within paediatrics, disability, youth mental health, behavioural intervention, community mental health or complex psychosocial practice would be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

Your caseload will be diverse and may include:

- Supporting students experiencing complex mental health and wellbeing needs.
- Assessing the occupational, environmental, sensory, emotional and functional factors contributing to school disengagement.
- Developing individualised strategies to support regulation, behaviour, participation and engagement.
- Supporting students who are struggling to attend, remain in or successfully participate in classroom environments.
- Developing practical plans to support students to progressively re‑engage with school and learning.
- Working alongside classroom teams to understand the function and context of behaviours and develop proactive supports.
- Supporting students to develop regulation, coping, executive functioning, social participation and everyday functional skills.
- Delivering targeted 1:1 interventions and small-group programs.
- Designing and implementing preventative and early‑intervention wellbeing programs.
- Providing coaching, modelling and professional learning for teachers and Education Support staff.
- Working collaboratively with the school's broader Allied Health, Wellbeing and Education teams.
- Contributing to multidisciplinary assessment, intervention planning and review.

Who May Apply

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfil the specific requirements of the position.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department.The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces.It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines ).





Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case‑by‑case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees,including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

Please ensure that your application includes:

- Aresume including relevant experience as well as personal details (name, address and contact numbers, business and home)
- Addressing the selection criteria and the requirements for application under theSelection Criteriasection
- Names and contact numbers (telephone and email if possible) of two professional referees who are able to attest to the claims made in your application.

Please note that the selection panel may seek additional referees beyond those you name. Consistent with policy, we shall advise you if we will take this action.

Conditions of Employment

- All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
- Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
- A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
- Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at

Location Profile

At Maramba Primary School, we value connection and engagement with our community, innovation, collaboration, and celebrate the continued lifelong learning for all.

As a small to medium sized public school with a current enrolment of 230 students situated in Narre Warren, we continue to provide exceptional opportunities to our children and families. We know all our students on a first name basis which demonstrates the value we place on strong relationships. Maramba Primary is situated on naturally beautiful and extensive grounds with fantastic play areas that encourage student play, learning and exploration while having fun.

Our Vision at Maramba:

Providing a caring environment where aspirations are nurtured, positive relationships grow, success is celebrated and a passion for lifelong learning is ignited.

Our School Values:

Respect: We are understanding and are considerate of everyone's rights.

Relationships: We nurture our connection with others.

Resilience: We are brave when faced with challenges.

Responsibility: We recognise our actions and make a positive difference.

As a school community, we focus on developing our student's awareness of themselves and the knowledge of being human goes beyond social and emotional learning. This allows our students to use this knowledge to empower learning and their lives.

We understand that learning is developmental and continuous. The most important of which are a well-planned and well-taught curriculum. Teachers maximise student learning through rich collaboration in PLCs using researched based high impact teaching strategies and assessment practices to create classroom environments that are engaging and fun, igniting each student's passion for learning.

We are committed to continually connecting and engaging with our school community to work together to achieve great results for our students academically and holistically. Together, our school community can deliver every child an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the world they will inherit and instilling in each of them a foundation for lifelong learning.

Please contact the school on for further information or to organise a school tour.

Applications close Thursday 24 September 2026 at 11.59pm

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📌 Occupational Therapist (Melbourne)
🏢 State Government Of Victoria, Australia
📍 Melbourne