Occupational Therapist – Position Description

Founding Occupational Therapist – Barwon Heads

13th Beach Health Services | Barwon Heads, Victoria | Subcontract (ABN) | Clinic + NDIS | Community Visits

Build your own occupational therapy practice – without building it alone.

We are looking for an enterprising Occupational Therapist with NDIS experience to become the first OT at 13th Beach Health Services. You will set up and lead a brand-new OT arm inside a clinic that has served Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula for 16 years. You get the freedom, ownership and earning upside of running your own caseload, with an established brand, full reception, rooms, equipment and a 13-strong allied health team behind you from day one.

The ideal applicant will have experience working with NDIS clients and older adults, plus TAC and WorkSafe clients. You don’t need to be an expert in everything: we’ll build your caseload around your strengths and interests. If you have been thinking about going out on your own, but don’t want to give up collegial support or spend your first year answering phones and doing the books, this role is perfect for you.

About us – and where you’ll work

13th Beach Health Services has been part of the Barwon Heads community for 16 years. Our team of 13 practitioners spans Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Remedial Massage and Myotherapy, and we work as a genuinely collaborative allied health team: we refer to each other, talk through cases together, and back each other’s growth.

We run from an 8-room clinic in Barwon Heads, with a full-time reception team, a loyal local patient base, close working relationships with the local GP clinics, and strong ties to the community. And the location is hard to beat. Barwon Heads is a relaxed coastal village where the Barwon River meets the ocean, minutes from 13th Beach, Ocean Grove and the rest of the Bellarine Peninsula, with the Surf Coast and Geelong close by. Think a surf, swim or coffee by the river before your first patient, and a commute measured in just minutes.

The chance

This is not a vacancy to fill – it is a new service to build, and you’ll be the one building it. As our founding OT you will shape how Occupational Therapy looks at 13th BHS: the client groups you focus on, the referral relationships you grow, and the systems you put in place.

• A caseload built around you. We’ll start with NDIS clients and older adults, then grow in the direction of your expertise – whether that’s neuro, complex home modifications, psychosocial, or adding a paediatric caseload down the track.

• Two settings, one caseload. Consult from our Barwon Heads clinic and deliver NDIS home and community visits across Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, the wider Bellarine and Geelong surrounds.

• Run it like your own. You set your hours, manage your diary and grow your list – with the earnings to match.

• A ready-made referral network. Local GP clinics already send us a steady flow of direct referrals and Chronic Disease Management referrals, and those relationships come with the role. Add 13 practitioners already seeing patients – many of them older adults – who need OT input, and a 16-year reputation that opens doors with support coordinators and plan managers.

• A path to leadership and profit share. As the OT arm grows, we’re open to a profit-share arrangement on future OTs who join the business – whom you would recruit, mentor and help develop. In effect, you can grow from clinician to leader of your own OT team.

Key responsibilities

Clinical practice

• Deliver client-centred OT assessment and intervention for NDIS participants and older adults,



in clinic, at home and in the community.

• Complete functional capacity assessments, daily living and independent living skills assessments, and home safety and falls risk assessments.

• Assess, trial, prescribe and review assistive technology, such as mobility aids, bathroom and toileting equipment, and daily living aids.

• Assess for and recommend home modifications, from minor works (rails, ramps, bathroom changes) through to more complex modifications as your experience allows.

• Provide therapy and capacity-building programs to improve independence, participation and safety, including falls prevention, energy conservation and task retraining.

• Support carers, families and support workers with training, strategies and handover.

• Work collaboratively with our Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Myotherapists and Remedial Massage Therapists on shared clients and cross-referrals. NDIS, TAC, WorkSafe and other funding

• Deliver supports in line with participants’ NDIS goals, plans and the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.

• Write clear, timely, evidence-based reports: functional capacity, assistive technology and home modification applications, progress and plan review reports.

• Prepare service agreements and quotes, and track supports against participant budgets.

• Manage TAC and WorkSafe Victoria clients, including treatment requests, progress reports and liaising with case managers and agents.

• See older clients through Medicare Chronic Disease Management referrals, the Support at Home aged care program and private fee-for-service.

• Liaise with support coordinators, plan managers, LACs, TAC and WorkSafe case managers, GPs, aged care providers and other services.

• Keep accurate clinical notes and meet NDIS Practice Standards, AHPRA and OT Australia obligations.

Growing the OT service

• Actively build your caseload: build on our established GP relationships and develop new ones with support coordinators, plan managers, TAC and WorkSafe case managers, aged care and Support at Home providers, retirement villages and community groups across the Bellarine, Surf Coast and Geelong.

• Represent 13th Beach at local networking and community events, and contribute OT content to our marketing.

• Help shape OT systems: assessment templates, report formats, equipment lists and referral pathways.

• As the service grows, help recruit, onboard, supervise and mentor future OTs.

About you

You’re an OT with solid NDIS experience and an entrepreneurial streak. You’re hungry to build a caseload, comfortable picking up the phone to a support coordinator, and excited by the idea of leading a service rather than just working in one. Ideally, you’ll have experience working with NDIS clients and older adults, as well as TAC and WorkSafe clients. You don’t need to tick every box below – tell us where your strengths lie.

Essential

• Degree in Occupational Therapy and current general registration with AHPRA.

• At least 2 years’ post-graduate experience, including community-based work with NDIS clients.

• Experience completing functional capacity assessments and NDIS reports.





• Experience prescribing everyday assistive technology and recommending minor home modifications.

• Current ABN (or willingness to obtain one), plus your own professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

• NDIS Worker Screening Check, NDIS Worker Orientation Module and a Working with Children Check.

• Current driver’s licence and a reliable, insured vehicle for home visits.

• A self-starter mindset: you set goals, chase referrals and take ownership of your results.

Desirable

• Experience with TAC and WorkSafe Victoria clients.

• Already registered as a TAC and WorkSafe Victoria provider, ideally on the TAC OT Access Registry.

• Experience working within a registered NDIS provider and the NDIS Practice Standards.

• Experience with older adults in the community or aged care, including My Aged Care or Support at Home.

• Complex home modification or complex assistive technology experience.

• A special interest such as neurological, psychosocial, falls prevention or driving assessment.

• Paediatric experience, or an interest in building a paediatric caseload in future.

• An existing caseload or referral network in Geelong, the Surf Coast or the Bellarine.

• Supervision or mentoring experience, or a strong interest in leading a team.

• OT Australia membership.

What we offer

• Excellent earning potential. A generous percentage of fees billed, reflecting that you are building a new arm of the business. The harder you grow your list, the more you earn.

• Founder-stage profit share. The opportunity to negotiate a profit-share arrangement on future OTs you recruit and mentor.

• Full reception and admin support. Bookings, phones, payments and front-of-house handled for you, so your time goes into clients and growth.

• All equipment provided. Assessment tools, clinical equipment and a fully fitted treatment room at Barwon Heads – just bring your expertise.

• An established brand and referral base. A 16-year local reputation, strong GP relationships with regular direct and CDM referrals, an existing patient base and 13 colleagues ready to refer.

• Marketing support. Website, socials and local promotion to launch and grow the OT service.

• A collaborative team. Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Remedial Massage Therapists and Myotherapists who share cases, ideas and the occasional post-work glass of wine.

• Monthly in-house CPD. Learn from expert guest speakers, including surgeons, sports doctors and paediatricians, alongside the whole team.

• Health and lifestyle balance. We practise what we preach: free training with our local fitness partners, and a culture that makes time for your own health.

• Flexibility. Choose your days and hours, and balance clinic and home-visit time to suit you.

• Coastal lifestyle. Work minutes from 13th Beach, the Barwon River and the best of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Engagement details and how to apply

Engagement Independent subcontractor (ABN)

Location 13th Beach Health Services, 2/77 Hitchcock Ave, Barwon Heads VIC, plus NDIS home and community visits locally

Days Flexible. Choose your own hours – part-time or full-time, building over time. The clinic is open Mon–Thurs 7:30am–8pm, Fri 7:30am–6pm, Sat 7:30am–12pm

Reports to David Proctor, Director

Start date negotiable

To apply, send your CV and a short cover letter to ••••@13thbeachhealthservices.com.au. Tell us about your OT experience, the client groups you’re strongest with, and how you’d approach building a new OT service on the Bellarine. For a confidential chat first, call Dave at the clinic on 5254 2668.

Come and build something of your own – with a great team behind you!

📌 Occupational Therapist (Barwon Heads)
🏢 13th Beach Health Services
📍 Barwon Heads