current vacancy

Lead Occupational Therapist

vacancy details

online application

Closing Date: Sunday 28th June 2026

Salary: £51,000-£58,200 depending on experience

Reports to: Lucy Wright, Head of Therapies
Location: Alexander House, 30 Troutbeck Road, Sheffield S7 2QA
Hours of work: 30-37.5 hours per week

Download the full job description here.

Purpose of the role

The role supports the Head of Therapy (HOT) in providing leadership support to the Therapy team. The post holder will also be responsible for supporting the HOT in the service development, auditing, and reporting systems.

To promote STEPS values whilst contributing to the vision and mission of the service. The main role is to provide leadership support to occupational team which is currently made up of eight Occupational Therapists, one Occupational Therapy Assistant and one therapy technician and lead on the occupational therapy service development. You will take on delegated responsibilities as and when required by the HOT. The focus of the role is to also deliver effective, comprehensive, high standard assessments and evaluations for clients, including a high standard of report writing. There will be additional responsibilities that extend to the wider organisational goals working collaboratively with the other clinical leadership roles within STEPS.

Specific responsibilities

This Job description is an outline which reflects the present requirements of the post and is not intended to be exhaustive list of duties the post holder will be expected to fulfil.

Provide clinical and operational leadership to the Occupational Therapy team.
Oversee the service management and the direction of the Occupational therapy service.
Lead on service development and evaluation including audits and research review.
Participate in meetings, lead clinical audits, and contribute to policy development and clinical practice.
Identify clinical priorities at both operational and strategic level, ensuring the highest standards of clinical and professional practice.
To review equipment needs within occupational therapy service, ensuring a good awareness of new products, and emerging technologies in the UK and internationally.
Work collaboratively with the IDT to enhance service delivery and client outcomes.
Provide clinical leadership, support, and guidance to other staff team members
To support the pre-admission assessment team as required
To support the student placement programme within the Therapy department and facilitate the learning for both internal staff and visiting students
To undertake initial assessments, reviews, and evaluation of occupational therapy strategies for residential clients from admission to discharge. To focus the team on creating goal attainment action plans for each client in order to support maximisation of individual capacity/capabilities
Undertake comprehensive assessments of clients with a diverse and complex presentations. Use advanced clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition
To be able to utilise highly developed therapeutic handling skills to support rehabilitation of a variety of neurological/complex trauma rehabilitation clients
To be able to write and check comprehensive reports, to a high standard, appropriate to be shared with a variety of external bodies including medicolegal professionals.
To involve client’s and carers/family in the development and delivery of goals within the rehabilitation plan
To adhere to and carry out individual client and departmental risk assessments
To liaise effectively with appropriate members of the team regarding the progress of clients to optimise the outcome for each individual. This may include family and written reports to external bodies, e.g., NHS commissioners, solicitors, and case managers
To act upon and escalate issues as required following STEPS guidance and operating procedures
To be compliant with the clinical governance requirements operating within STEPS procedures
To identify the need for audit and be involved in clinical audits as and when directed
To contribute and lead on specific projects related to service development and delivery e.g., education, training and contributing to the setting and monitoring of practice standards, develop of new or enhanced services within the STEPS rehabilitation model
To be involved in and oversee team involvement in Research and Development
To represent STEPS, in line with our values at a variety of conferences and events.
To adhere to the Royal College of OT code of ethics and professional conduct

Person specification

The requirements of this person specification will be assessed through your application, panel interview, engagement with the tour of our premises and introductions to team members and a task. No presentation is required.

Area	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications	Registered with HCPC Educated to Master’s degree level, or offering the equivalent specialist knowledge / expertise acquired through training and experience over an extended period of time Relevant postgraduate training in neurological rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation, complex disability management, assistive technology or equivalent specialist area Training qualification / demonstrable experience in developing and delivering training programmes	Membership of Royal College of Occupational Therapists and a relevant specialist section group Leadership qualification or evidence of leadership training
Experience	Significant post-registration experience as an occupational therapist A minimum of 5 years Specialist Rehabilitation experience working with people following life changing injuries including at least one of the following areas: Traumatic brain injury Spinal cord injury Complex neurological conditions Major trauma Amputation and limb loss Demonstrable experience of managing a complex caseload with competing priorities A minimum of 2 years’ experience in a leadership role, supervising and developing occupational therapy staff, providing supervision and mentorship Experience of training package development and delivery across relevant subject e.g., Data Protection and Clinical Training Experience of presenting case studies and research to peers within the workplace and conference events Experience of developing services within rehabilitation Experience of outcome measurement and rehabilitation data collection Able to write complex, analytical, well-structured, and well-argued reports for Board level audiences. Experience of policy development Experience of audit functions IT experience including Microsoft Office packages Experience of working within governance frameworks e.g., clinical systems, data management, complaints untoward incidents Demonstrable experience and working knowledge of the Data Protection Act Documented evidence of continuing professional development.	A specialist level knowledge and qualification in varying areas of extended scope of practice Experience of playing an active role within specialist interest groups Experience working within the private healthcare sector Experience of working with medicolegal professionals Experience supporting individuals with challenging behaviour and cognitive impairment Experience of leading on research and development projects Experience of managing budgets or resources Casting and Splinting experience Experience using a variety of rehabilitation technology. Experience in research and development. Experience in recruitment and workforce planning
Personal Attributes	Creative, compassionate, innovative, inclusive and engaging approach to client care Excellent problem-solving skills Resilient and adaptable in complex clinical environments Excellent communicator both written and verbal. Able to demonstrate excellent listening skills Ability to present complex information clearly to a range of audiences Strong clinical reasoning and decision making skills Skilled in facilitating family meetings and difficult conversations Able to form key working relationships with colleagues, understand the dynamics of interdisciplinary working Excellent time management Full UK Driving Licence and willingness to drive WAV’s as part of role
Equal Opportunities	Ability to demonstrate an awareness of equality and diversity obligations when delivering care and also towards colleagues.