Occupational Therapist - Grade 3

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Date: 4 Sept 2026

Location: 50 Flemington Rd, AU

Company: theroyalch

 

The Hospital:

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”.

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards. 

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here.

 

Grade 3 Occupational Therapist – Stream Leader, Neurodevelopment, Ambulatory Services & Medical Specialties

Do you have established clinical expertise in providing neurodevelopmental occupational therapy services and a passion for making a difference for the children and families at RCH? Would you like to join our Occupational Therapy Senior Leadership team and provide clinical leadership and coordination to the Neurodevelopmental, Ambulatory and Medical specialities stream? 

 

About This Role:  

 A full-time position at 80 hours per fortnight, for a Fixed Term until 5th November 2027 as Stream Leader for the Neurodevelopment, Ambulatory Services & Medical Specialties. Working at the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) provides a unique and exciting opportunity to work alongside children and their families during pivotal life phases. You will be part of the RCH Occupational Therapy Senior Leadership Team; providing clinical leadership and coordination for Occupational Therapy, as well as holding a senior clinician clinical caseload specific to the stream of Neurodevelopment, Ambulatory Services & Medical Specialties.  This stream provides a range of inpatient and outpatient services across General Medicine, Neurosciences, Neonates, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Oncology, Respiratory, Hospital in the Home, Post Acute Care and Complex Care. In this role you will work together with families to enhance neurodevelopment and quality of life, and facilitate appropriate discharge from the acute setting ( including successful transitions to sustainable, home-based care).  You will facilitate participation and developmental opportunities for infants and children during long-stay admissions in the acute setting, or in consultative outpatient assessment clinics. You will work within a highly skilled team of specialty paediatric clinicians in our acute occupational therapy department. 

 

Classification for this position will range from VG3 (Grade 3, Year 1) to VG6 (Grade 3, Year 4), base salary $104,135.20-$118,981.20, plus superannuation, plus with the added option of NFP salary packaging.

 

What You'll Achieve:  

  • Ongoing development of clinical expertise in occupational therapy and  assessment and intervention in accordance with best practise 

  • Developmental assessment of young infants and children, with a focus on clinical safety and parent coaching to inform infant occupations, neurodevelopmental outcomes and quality of life

  • Providing assessment and intervention to extremely high-risk infants and children with complex and critical conditions across inpatient and outpatient services 

  • Leadership in service development and processes for the highly specialised RCH Neurodevelopmental service 

  • Staff education and mentoring, including clinical supervision and operational support to grade 2 staff 

  • Opportunities for continuous improvement and research 

 

Your Skills and Experience:  

  • Recognised graduate-entry qualification in Occupational Therapy (Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate)   

  • Current registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) 

  • Experience working in acute paediatric settings

  • Advanced skills in clinical assessment, formulation, and clinical reasoning abilities; specific to complex infants and children (including early motor assessments for infants at risk of neurodevelopmental challenges) 

  • Experience supporting patients in an acute setting with medical device dependency and technology requirements 

  • Interest in working within RCH tertiary multidisciplinary clinics (alongside engaged medical teams) to ensure children with complex and rare conditions access the supports they need within the community  

  • Confidence in educating patients/parents/discipline staff/ multidisciplinary team and members of the wider community to minimise risk and promote successful outcomes for patient care  

  • Proven strong clinical leadership and organisation

  • Highly developed communication skills with stakeholders across tertiary acute and community-based service systems for the coordination of patient care 

  • Supervision and education skills of a level suitable for supervision of students, Grade 1 and 2 staff and Allied Health Assistants 

  • Capacity for effective negotiation, conflict resolution and wide consultation at all levels, to maintain and foster key interpersonal relationships

  • Able to lead and manage project/research work independently 

 

If this sounds like you, or if you require more information, please click here to view the position description.  

 

About Occupational Therapy:

The Occupational Therapy department is within the Division of Allied and Digital Health. We provide inpatient and outpatient services for infants, children, and adolescents with a wide range of medical conditions. Our team works closely with families, carers, community services and other health care professionals to ensure the best occupational therapy outcomes for our patients.  

 

What we offer: 

    • Salary packaging option with our partner, SmartSalary – Increase your take home pay by up to $11,500 per annum (and other additional salary-enhancing options!)
    • Workplace culture of continuous improvement, growth, support and training
    • Clinical Education Hub on-site to support continued training and professional development

    • Monthly Accrued Day Off (ADO) – 12 additional leave days per year, if FTE

    • Hybrid work model, if applicable to role
    • Convenient location & close to public transport
    • Staff immunisation drives
    • Special events
    • Discounted Private Health Insurance
    • Support for working mothers including two on-site Early Learning Centres, flexible working arrangements, breast feeding and pumping facilities 
    • Help when you need it most! Staff counselling, financial coaching, legal support, nutritional support and specialist helpline services, and more through our EAP partner, Converge
    • Unlimited access to select fitness facilities in your local area via Fitness Passport
    • Enjoy the convenience of an on-site retail precinct, featuring a range of shops, cafés, and food outlets (retail discounts & more)

  

Other requirements: 

  • Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain 

  • Valid Working with Children Check 

  • Current NDIS Worker Screening Check, or willing to obtain 

  • Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure 

  

Application process:

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description. 

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately, we encourage you to apply promptly! 

For more information about this position please contact Annette Leong, Manager Occupational Therapy via ph: 03 9345 4348 OR email: annette.leong@rch.org.au 

 

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer staff benefits such as discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children’s Hospital.  Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children’s Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption, and offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of background checks including reference checks. 

 

Are you ready to join our team?

Apply online by clicking on the “Apply” button

Applications close: 18 September 2026.