Cortica logo
Cortica
Carlsbad, California

Pediatric-Focused Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist Top 25% in Pediatrics (Occupational Therapy)Full-Time

Listed compensation

$83,288 - $104,111

Listing transparency2 of 6 stated

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

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Make a Bigger Impact. Practice the Way You Were Trained.

If you're looking for a pediatric OT role where you can collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, build meaningful relationships with families, and practice evidence-based, play-centered therapy, we'd love to meet you.

At Cortica, we believe every child deserves care that sees the whole person—not just a diagnosis. Our Occupational Therapists work alongside Speech-Language Pathologists, Behavior Analysts, Physicians, Mental Health Clinicians, and other specialists to create truly integrated treatment plans that help children thrive.

  • Why OTs Choose Cortica
  • Competitive salary: $83,288–$104,111
  • Collaborative multidisciplinary care model
  • Play-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach
  • Opportunities for co-treatment with multiple disciplines
  • Clinical autonomy backed by a supportive team
  • Continuing education and professional development support
  • Career growth within a rapidly expanding organization
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
  • 401(k) with company match and rapid vesting
  • Paid holidays, wellness days, PTO, and referral bonuses

What You'll Do

As an Occupational Therapist at Cortica, you'll help children build meaningful life skills through individualized, engaging therapy.

You'll

  • Complete comprehensive occupational therapy evaluations using standardized and dynamic assessments
  • Develop individualized treatment plans that reflect each child's strengths, interests, and goals
  • Deliver engaging, play-based therapy focused on sensory processing, emotional regulation, fine motor development, self-care skills, and participation in daily activities
  • Collaborate closely with families and an interdisciplinary clinical team to provide integrated care
  • Participate in co-treatment sessions when clinically appropriate
  • Educate caregivers with practical home strategies that support continued progress
  • Maintain documentation and billing that supports high-quality care
  • Contribute ideas that help strengthen and grow our clinical programs
  • Our productivity expectation is 26 direct patient care hours per week, allowing dedicated time for documentation, collaboration, training, and team meetings.
  • We're Looking For
  • Current California Occupational Therapy License
  • Master's degree in Occupational Therapy
  • Passion for working with children and their families
  • Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration

Growth Mindset and Eagerness to Learn

Experience with pediatric therapy preferred, but clinicians with strong pediatric foundations are encouraged to apply

Why Cortica?

Our mission is simple: to design and deliver life-changing care—one child, one family, and one community at a time.

We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture where clinicians are empowered to learn, innovate, and make a lasting impact. Every discipline has a voice, every teammate is valued, and every child receives care tailored to their unique strengths.

If you're looking for a place where you can grow professionally while making a meaningful difference every day, we'd love to connect with you.

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: https://bit.ly/3ZRUnaf

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

#LI-MT1

#LI-Onsite

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist will conduct comprehensive pediatric evaluations and develop individualized, play-based treatment plans to support children's development. They will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team and provide caregivers with practical strategies to ensure integrated, high-quality care.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy and a current California Occupational Therapy license. A strong foundation in pediatric therapy and a growth mindset are required for this role.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Treatment planningCaregiver educationClinical assessment

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Pediatric-Focused Occupational Therapist at Cortica a 7.7 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Pediatrics (Occupational Therapy) — ranked against 678 active Pediatrics (Occupational Therapy) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Pediatrics — Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Pediatrics weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$106k (28 salary observations; 80 listings), vs ~$90k nationally (301 salary observations; 1,413 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-03-01 through 2026-09-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Pediatrics listings this role was benchmarked against, 2% are remote, 60% have no call, 72% require no weekends.

Pediatrics pay on WeekdayDoc is down 5.9% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$94k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $85k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution24 jobs · 20 employers

6
<$100k
10
$100k-115k
5
$115k-130k
2
$130k-145k
1
$160k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks22 jobs · 20 employers

401k / retirement match
100% this job
CME allowance
73% this job
Sign-on bonus
36%
Loan repayment
14%
Relocation assistance
14%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist

Amedisys · Hayward, California

$129k–$160k
#2

Acute Care Occupational Therapist

Sentara Health · Hampton, Virginia

$96k-$141k
#3

Occupational Therapist

$120k-$132k
#4

Occupational Therapist, Home Health

$94k-$129k
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

7.7/ 10
Listing-based score

Top 25% in Pediatrics (Occupational Therapy)

Living in Carlsbad

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.35M
Typical market rent
$3,556/mo
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 (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

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

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Cortica logo

About Cortica

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

Benefits & Perks

Competitive salary
Collaborative multidisciplinary care model
Play-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach
Co-treatment opportunities
Clinical autonomy
Continuing education and professional development
Career growth
Medical, dental, vision benefits