Director of Occupational Therapy

Please send a resume and cover letter to unless a specific job description specifies otherwise.  

The International Academy for the Brain (iBRAIN-Academy) is one of the largest brain-injury special education programs in the world, headquartered in New York City with current locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. iBRAIN is expanding to add an out-patient clinic (iBRAIN-Center), as well as growing its research efforts for the brain injury and brain-based disorders community (iBRAIN-Institute), collectively iBRAIN. iBRAIN-Academy’s mission is to research, develop, and implement special education and related services for school-aged (3-21 years of age) students who present with a wide range of impairments due to brain injury and/or brain-based disorders as well as the development of a fully-inclusive education model.

Position Title : 

Director of Occupational Therapy / Change Agent is a Full-time position to change the world for the millions of families who have a child with a brain injury or brain-based disorder.

Position Summary : 

iBRAIN-Academy is one of the largest school-based programs in the United States, focused on students with brain injuries and brain-based disorders. Under the supervision of the Director of Related Services, with wide latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, the Director of Occupational Therapy will oversee and manage the Occupational Therapy (OT) department across multiple locations.

This person will be part of the Management Team and will also operate as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Finally, individuals who are successful in this role are strategic planners, adept at compliance monitoring, understands the importance of research and innovation in improving services to students, and successfully implements evidence-based practices and programming in special education.

Salary Range:

$135,000 to $155,000 (based on experience)

Reports to : 

Director of Related Services

Job Type:  

Full time (M-F); In-person (no remote/hybrid)

Location : 

New York City, New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) with travel requirements to our new Washington, DC location as well as future iBRAIN-Academy locations around the country.

Job Responsibilities :

• Oversee the OT department including but not limited to service delivery, compliance with documentation, supervision and mentoring of OT staff
• Supervise and observe 15-20 OT sessions a week (across all sites) to provide an oversight on treatment strategies, adherence to plan of care, Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), treatment planning; as well as competent administration and comprehension of assessment tools to create/modify plan of care
• Collaborate within a multi-disciplinary/inter-disciplinary team including each student’s special education teacher and related services team of speech therapists, physical therapists, teachers of the visually impaired, deaf/heard of hearing, assistive technologists, music therapists, nursing along with research assistant-paraprofessionals, neuropsychologist, social workers; to provide and foster student-centric best practices
• Oversee the management of equipment and brace clinic along with respective coordinators of the clinic
• Manage and maintain inventory of iBRAIN-Academy and student owned DME (wheelchairs, activity chairs, strollers, standers, gait trainers) and braces/orthotics if any
• Manage departmental purchasing needs and funding proposals for any/all equipment/materials needed
• Audit and review evaluations, IEPs, Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs), session notes, Letter of Medical Necessity (LMNs), parent weekly reports, assessments for compliance with key performance indicators
• Serve as a member of the Peer Review Committee (PRC) to assist with compliance and quality of all documentation produced by related services
• Collaborate with parents as necessary and involve them in their child's activities and progress on a regular basis to allow for accurate and timely modifications to plan of care
• Assist with all departmental hiring efforts as well as securing from OT providers updated credentials/certifications to keep OT credential database up-to-date and remind providers in advance of expiring credentials
• Assists to coordinate staff developmental and professional training in-services including departmental meetings, internal and external in-services, and curating opportunities for continued education through conferences, invitations and lectures
• Assist in needs analysis, development and implementation of educational course modules for staff in-service trainings and accrediting bodies to include but not limited to IACET (International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training) compliant learning events as well as department specific mini knowledge bites for the staff and iBRAIN community
• Assists with the development, implementation and management of iBRAIN-Center(s)
• All other duties and tasks as assigned by the Director of Related Services
• Has mastery of their disciplines; responsible for competent clinical review of the department’s rehabilitation plans for individual students
• Present to the Directors of Research, Continuing Education, Related Services, and Special Education innovative equipment, strategies, assessments, therapies, and current breakthroughs in their discipline that are feasible to improve the rehabilitation and education of iBRAIN-Academy students
• Responsible for facilitating competent Common Planning Sessions to integrate their discipline's discussion into the wider iBRAIN organization, when needed
• Responsible for coaching, mentoring, and critiquing colleagues' Grand Rounds preparation and presentation
• Conducts outreach to other institutions (academic, industrial, or governmental) to build affiliations and collaborations; be competent supervisor to interns, fellows and department members alike
• Serve as a high-yielding Principal Investigator by developing novel scientifically rigorous research project(s), which entails establishing interdisciplinary collaborations, collecting/analyzing data, presenting original data at a local/virtual scientific conference/symposium, and being a lead author on peer-reviewed publications
• Well-familiarized with aspects of protection of human subjects to ensure that data are collected and maintained in accordance with all Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines

Qualifications :

• Doctorate level candidate (OTD) with at least 10 years' experience in Pediatric Occupational Therapy and at least five years supervisory experience
• NDT training (preferred), CBIS (preferred)
• Research and presentation experience at national/international conferences (preferred)
• Valid NYS OT License/Registration (or eligible to become licensed in NYS)
• Must have excellent communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills
• Must have the ability to take initiative, and a highly flexible personality type
• Must be capable of lifting a minimum of 50 pounds independently
• Must be detail-oriented, focused, highly motivated, and able to work as part of a team
• MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

Health insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, Paid time off, Transportation Management Account

Hours : 

Monday through Friday, typically 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., with occasional prolonged and irregular hours based on leadership/management/travel responsibilities

Please note this position adheres to iBRAIN-Academy’s administrative calendar.

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and/or qualifications associated with the position.

Employment with iBRAIN is contingent upon successful completion of any and all post-screening processes, including a reference and background check, and license/certification/degree verifications if/where applicable

Please send a resume and cover letter to unless a specific job description specifies otherwise.