Cortica logo
Cortica
Carlsbad, California, United States

Full Time Occupational Therapist

Occupational TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

~$104k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and weekend coverage.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Cortica is looking for a full time Occupational Therapist to join its growing multi-disciplinary team at our Carlsbad center in CA. At this time, we are offering a $5,000 first year bonus!

If you’re looking for a role where you can collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, build meaningful relationships with families, and practice evidence-based, play-centered therapy, we’d love to meet you!

Our Occupational Therapists work alongside Speech Language Pathologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Physicians, Counselors, and other specialists to create truly integrated treatment plans that help children thrive.

As an Occupational Therapist, you’ll assess, diagnose, and treat sensory integration, sensorimotor, motor, feeding, and developmental disorders in children, while utilizing Cortica’s Whole Child Approach. Your Compensation & Benefits $2,000 continuing education stipend.

Receive competitive compensation, $83,000 to $104,000, depending on experience. $5,000 First Year Bonus. Have an earning capacity that is not capped by salary, and will be eligible to earn an additional $45 for any extra billable hour above productivity expectations. Opportunities to grow within our clinical ladder.

401k matching. PTO and continuing education/wellness days. Paid holidays. Health, vision, dental, and pet insurance. Referral bonuses. What will you do? Establish occupational therapy treatment goals through dynamic and standardized assessment tools, in alignment with Cortica’s Whole Child Approach.

Consult closely with transdisciplinary team members to create collaborative treatment plans and integrative strategies. Provide individual, group, and co-treat therapy sessions for therapy services within scope, as clinically appropriate.

Contributes to the autism diagnostic process by providing clinical insight and administering standardized assessments (e. g. ADOS), as appropriate. Provide therapeutic services in-person in the clinic setting and via telehealth, as clinically appropriate.

Accurately complete documentation in accordance with Cortica’s designated time frames. Provide neurodiversity affirming interventions that are both play-based and goal-based. Facilitate functional and child-led experiences to target and achieve individualized goals.

We’d love to hear from you if: You hold a current and unrestrictive license for Occupational Therapy in the state of practice. You hold a master’s degree in related field. You can complete safety training within the first 90 days of employment.

We are a rapidly growing healthcare company pioneering the most effective treatment methods for children with neurodevelopmental differences. Our mission is to design and deliver life-changing care – one child, one family, one community at a time.

Ultimately, we envision a world that cultivates the full potential of every child. At Cortica, every team member is instrumental in helping us achieve our mission! EOE. This posting is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the role and its duties.

Please review the job description in the following link: bit. ly Privacy Notice Cortica is committed to protecting your personal information in compliance with applicable federal and state laws. Please review our Privacy Notice to understand how your data is collected, used, and protected.

Fair Chance Ordinance Compliance Cortica is committed to fair hiring practices.

Qualified candidates with criminal histories will be considered and are not automatically disqualified from employment, consistent with applicable federal law, the California Fair Chance Act, and local ordinances such as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers.

E-Verify Participation This employer participates in E-Verify. Click here to view the E-Verify Poster and your Right to Work. Este empleador participa en E-Verify. Haga clic aquí para ver el cartel de E-Verify y su derecho a trabajar. #CorticaOTCareers

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist will assess, diagnose, and treat sensory, motor, and developmental disorders in children using a multidisciplinary approach. They will collaborate with a transdisciplinary team to create integrated treatment plans and provide therapy in both clinic and telehealth settings.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a current and unrestrictive license for Occupational Therapy in the state of practice and possess a master's degree in a related field. The role requires the ability to complete safety training within the first 90 days of employment.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification (preferred)

Key Skills

Sensorimotor therapyFeeding therapyTreatment planningClinical documentationPlay-based therapyTransdisciplinary collaboration

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (958 salary observations; 2,079 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (6,849 salary observations; 26,317 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$104k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $94k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Occupational Therapy market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$104kOccupational Therapy median $100k (middle half $95k–$109k)15 comparable listings, Oct 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$97k nationally (+21%)958 state / 6,849 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$94k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California905 active9,300 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 38% no call · 62% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Occupational Therapy pay trend+1.5% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

29 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

29 jobs · 16 employers
10
<$100k
12
$100k-115k
2
$115k-130k
3
$130k-145k
2
$145k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

28 jobs · 16 employers
401k / retirement match
96% this job
CME allowance
46% this job
Sign-on bonus
39% this job
Loan repayment
18%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Hand Therapist II, Ambulatory

Sutter Health · Yuba City, California

$122k-$171k
#2

Occupational Therapist (Home Health)

21st Century Home Health Services · Galt, California

$130k-$160k
#3

Occupational Therapist Matawan NJ

$140k
#4

Occupational Therapist Marlboro NJ

$140k
+ 27 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.6
Better work-life than 30% of Occupational Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,257 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Cortica logo

About Cortica

Hospitals and Health Care
San Diego, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

$5,000 first year bonus
$2,000 continuing education stipend
401k matching
PTO and continuing education/wellness days
Paid holidays
Health, vision, dental, and pet insurance
Referral bonuses
Opportunities to grow within clinical ladder

Living in Carlsbad

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.35M≈ 13.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,531/mo≈ 41% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
27 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.