Early-career or senior OT? Help shape Optiform’s paediatric OT service around your clinical interests. Full-time, part-time or contractor options.

Build the service you wish already existed

Some OT positions come with a caseload, a room and a well-established way of doing things.

This one comes with something different: the opportunity to help create the paediatric OT service you would genuinely like to work in.

Optiform is looking for an Occupational Therapist who wants to work with children, families and a multidisciplinary team in Ballarat.

You might be an early-career clinician looking for strong support and the freedom to discover the kind of OT you want to become.

You might be an experienced paediatric OT with ideas about how services could be delivered differently.

Or you might be somewhere in between.

We are open to full time, part-time or contractor arrangements. More importantly, we are open to talking about what would make this a genuinely worthwhile next step for you.

Make the role your own

We are not recruiting someone to squeeze into a narrowly defined position.

We want the successful OT to help shape:

the focus of the paediatric service

the mix and structure of the caseload

assessment and intervention approaches

clinic resources and spaces

group programs and service initiatives

relationships with families, schools and referrers

the clinical areas the service develops next

You may want to build expertise in early intervention, school-aged practice, group programs, feeding and mealtimes, AAC, functional capacity assessment, mental health, regulation, participation or another area we have not explored yet.

The point is not that you must do all of those things.

The point is that your interests can influence what we build.

What the clinical work may involve

Depending on your experience and interests, your role may include:

paediatric occupational therapy assessment and intervention





supporting participation in everyday activities at home, school and in the community

working collaboratively with children, families, educators and other professionals

developing practical, strengths-based supports

contributing to group programs

collaborating with Speech Pathologists and Behaviour Support Practitioners

helping develop new paediatric OT programs, resources or service pathways

If you are early in your career

You will not be expected to arrive knowing everything.

Optiform has developed a structured early-career pathway that progressively builds clinical independence, with a supported caseload, weekly supervision during the first six months, protected learning time and opportunities to develop specialty interests.

Support can include:

regular supervision

access to senior multidisciplinary clinicians

external paediatric OT supervision

a funded OT professional-development subscription

fortnightly paediatric intervention training

monthly whole-team professional development

case discussion and multidisciplinary learning

You will have room to ask questions, reflect, develop sound clinical reasoning and gradually take greater ownership of your work.

If you are an experienced OT

We are not going to pretend that an experienced clinician needs a graduate pathway with a different label.

Instead, we would like to understand:

what kind of paediatric work you want to do

what you would change if you could design a service properly

which clinical interests you want to develop





whether you want to supervise, lead, educate or remain primarily clinical

what flexibility and support would make the role sustainable

what resources and authority you would need to build something worthwhile

What working at Optiform offers

Full-time, part-time or contractor options

A multidisciplinary team rather than a siloed OT service

Dedicated administration support

Flexibility to shape your caseload and clinical focus

Purpose-built clinic facilities

Opportunities to develop groups, programs and new services

Internal and external professional support

Professional development that is built into the role

A team that values curiosity, thoughtful practice and useful ideas

An established Ballarat practice with existing referral relationships and service infrastructure

Incentive based additional leave (up to 2 weeks per year)

About you

You will need:

a recognised Occupational Therapy qualification

current registration, or eligibility for registration, with AHPRA

a current Working with Children Check

the relevant NDIS Worker Screening clearance

the ability to meet applicable employment, professional and screening requirements

Just as importantly, we are looking for someone who is:

curious about why an approach works, not only what to do

reflective and willing to keep developing

respectful, warm and practical

comfortable contributing ideas

committed to evidence-informed, neuroaffirming and person-centred practice

You do not need to arrive with a fully developed business plan for a paediatric OT service. You do need to be interested in helping shape one.

Curious, but not ready to "apply" yet?

That is completely fine.

A formal application can feel like a big step when you are still working out whether a role could fit around your life, interests or current commitments.

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📌 Occupational Therapist (Ballarat East)
🏢 Optiform
📍 Ballarat East