Occupational Therapist (Full-Time + Benefits!) - Durham, NC

Job Description

Job Description

ABOUT THRIVE THERAPIES

Thrive Therapies Group is a pediatric healthcare organization on a mission to revolutionize the care of children with disabilities and those facing barriers to access. We provide results-driven services and intelligent tools to support children’s development, well-being, and health. At the heart of this mission are the people who change the trajectories of children’s lives. We work for them.

We work exclusively in K–12 schools — because school is where clinical care becomes transformative. Roughly half of all children identified with a disability receive their services in schools, not in healthcare settings. For many of those children, the school-based clinician is the care. Thrive is built around that reality.

We work exclusively with historically under-resourced, neurodiverse K–12 communities. Equity isn’t a tagline — it’s the core of why we exist. Our school partners request Thrive by name because they want better outcomes for students with disabilities.

WHAT MAKES THRIVE THERAPIES DIFFERENT

OUR MISSION

There are organizations that place clinicians in schools. Thrive is something different. We are a pediatric healthcare organization built around a singular belief: that school is where clinical care becomes transformative — that a therapy goal in a clinic is a therapy goal, but a therapy goal in a school becomes a friendship on the playground, a kid who feels they belong, a child who gets to participate in the full arc of childhood. Everything we build — our technology, our workload model, our clinical community — exists to protect that work and the clinicians who deliver it.

THE WORKLOAD MODEL

Thrive uses a workload model that accounts for the full scope of OT work — evaluations, equipment, direct service, consultation, and documentation — and sizes your assignment to be sustainable for the long haul.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Our AI-powered tools were built by clinicians who were tired of losing evenings to documentation. They handle evaluation report generation, session notes, paperwork, and progress summaries — and they give our clinicians 10+ hours back every week. The tools are continuously improved based on clinician feedback. They belong to you as much as anyone.

THE CLINICAL COMMUNITY

You have a community here and are never alone. You have clinical supervision through a role-alike leader, quarterly professional development, monthly role-alike communities of practice, and peers across the organization you can reach every day.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Thrive OT in the Durham, NC region, you will deliver school-based occupational therapy services to students K–12 whose disabilities affect their ability to access education. Your work will focus on fine motor development, sensory processing, self-care, and classroom participation. You are a full member of the community.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

EVALUATION & ELIGIBILITY

• Conduct comprehensive OT evaluations to determine educational need and IDEA eligibility, including assessment of fine motor skills, sensory processing, visual-motor integration, self-care, and classroom participation

• Administer and interpret standardized assessment tools (Beery VMI, SIPT, BOT-2, SPM, COPM, and others) as appropriate to the referral

• Write evaluation reports that are clinically rigorous, educationally relevant, and accessible to IEP team members and families

• Participate in eligibility determination meetings and translate OT findings for educational planning purposes

• Conduct re-evaluations (triennials) in accordance with IDEA timelines

IEP DEVELOPMENT & SERVICE DELIVERY

• Develop individualized OT IEP goals targeting skills that affect educational access — including handwriting, fine motor coordination, sensory regulation, and functional self-care

• Deliver direct individual and small-group therapy sessions using evidence-based OT frameworks (Ayres Sensory Integration, CO-OP, sensory diet programming, and others)

• Design and implement sensory diets, environmental modifications, and adaptive equipment recommendations to support classroom participation

• Provide consultative services to teachers and paraprofessionals on sensory accommodations and adaptive strategies

• Maintain accurate, timely service logs and progress notes — supported by Thrive’s AI documentation tools

COLLABORATION & ADAPTIVE SUPPORTS

• Partner with SLPs, PTs, BCBAs, school psychologists, and special education teachers on integrated, student-centered IEP teams

• Evaluate for and recommend adaptive equipment, positioning tools, and assistive technology to support educational access

• Train teachers, paraprofessionals, and families on sensory strategies, handwriting supports, and ADL skill generalization

• Contribute to RTI/MTSS frameworks by providing universal sensory screening and Tier 1/Tier 2 motor skill consultation

• Coordinate with physical therapists on overlapping mobility, positioning, and motor goals

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from an ACOTE-accredited program

• NBCOT certification (OTR) in good standing

• Active state OT license in good standing, or documented initiation of licensure transfer prior to start date

• Knowledge of IDEA, IEP process, and the educational model of OT

PREFERRED

• 1+ years of school-based OT experience

• Training or certification in Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) or related sensory processing frameworks

• Experience with AAC and assistive technology evaluation and implementation

• Familiarity with RTI/MTSS and universal design for learning (UDL) frameworks

• Experience serving students with autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, or developmental coordination disorder

COMPENSATION STRUCTURE

Compensation is paid over 10 months, aligned to the school-year calendar. All figures below reflect the Durham, NC market.

Base Compensation

W-2 Base Salary

$65,000 – $78,200,based on experience

A salary that reflects the expertise you bring. W-2 employment means full benefits, paid time off, retirement match, disability coverage, and malpractice insurance — all on us. Your total compensation is built to reflect what this work is worth.

1099 Contractor Rate

$49-$59/hr/hr

If flexibility is what fits your life, we built that in. Our 1099 option puts you in control of how you work — with a competitive hourly rate, full professional supports, and your career mobility fully intact.

Additional Earning Potential!

Sign-On Bonus

$4,000 —paid 25% at 30 days,25% at 90 days,50% at 6 months

Our sign-on bonus is a signal: we’re committed to you from the moment you say yes, and we want you to feel that.

Longevity Structure

Up to $2,000 —paid after completing your first full school year

We’re building Thrive around the people who commit to this work and to each other over the long haul — because that’s who our kids and schools depend on. Every year you come back, we reward it. And it grows with you.

CEU Stipend

$750 your first year →growing up to $2,000after five years

Your practice is the whole thing. The more you grow as a clinician, the better the care our kids get. We put real dollars behind your continuing education, and it grows with your tenure. Investing in your expertise is investing in our mission.

Performance Bonus

Paid annually afterexceeding performancemetrics

When you go above and beyond for students, we notice. Our performance bonus is how we say we see you, we value what you’re doing, and this work matters.

BENEFITS OFFERINGS

HEALTH COVERAGE — AT NO COST TO YOU (W-2 Employees Only)

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance — Thrive covers 100% of employee premiums

• Coverage begins day one

• Choice of HSA-eligible high-deductible plan or traditional PPO; nationwide PPO network

• Dependent and family coverage available

• 401(k) with up to 5% company match

• Optional voluntary benefits: supplemental life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and FSA

TIME OFF & SCHEDULE (W-2 Employees Only)

• School-year calendar — school holidays off, amounting to 30+ paid days annually

• 3 PTO and 3 sick days

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS (All Employees)

• Malpractice and professional liability insurance — fully covered by Thrive; no personal policy required

• Quarterly professional development led by clinical leadership — school-based, substantive, and paid

• Paid Summer Intensive — pre-year clinical PD that brings the full Thrive team together annually

• No non-compete agreement — your professional mobility is yours to keep

• State OT licensure renewal and NBCOT dues reimbursed annually

APPLY TODAY

[email protected] · thrivetherapiesgroup.com/careers · 615-652-2344