Occupational Therapist

Senior Peer Specialist

Bring your OT skills to support tāngata whai ora at our Peer-led Acute Alternative and support our Day Programme Pathways | Mō mātou. As a leading mental health and addiction service in Aotearoa, we believe in the power of lived experience and the impact of the peer workforce. We have well established and effective peer workforce infrastructure which supports you in your mahi. Our collective mahi is to empower individuals to live full lives in their communities. We foster strong whānau connections.

The Service We are building an exciting, new peer-led community-based acute alternative to hospital within the Central Auckland Te Toka Tumai region. This is an opportunity for you to step into an exciting Senior Peer Specialist role. The service will be staffed by lived and living experience kaimahi who are trained to deliver inspiring peer services alongside other clinical kaimahi. You will role model and support our kaimahi to use recovery tools, models, and practices to inspire resilience, hope, and wellbeing. The service will be delivered in partnership with other mental health and addiction providers and will be informed by a rights and values-based approach to care. You'll be reporting to a Team Coach and working with the support of your wider team.

The Benefits Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou

• Increased KiwiSaver contribution
• Fifth week of Annual leave (after 12 months employment)
• Paid Wellbeing days (2 per year)
• HealthNow Payment Card - $250 per year to support Health and Wellbeing for you and your whanau
• Holiday programme assistance
• Perk + Perk plus discount app

The Role Mō tēnei tūranga mahi Our service is a 24/7 Peer Acute Alternative Service, providing an alternative to hospital admission. The service is delivered by a team of Peers working across a range of shift patterns. You will join a team of passionate peer support specialists and Registered Nurses who walk alongside tangata whai ora to achieve wellbeing while working in a homelike 12-bed community-based service. You will be reporting to the Team Coach - Peer. This role offers a meaningful opportunity for a Registered Occupational Therapist to work within a mental health NGO setting, based in Auckland Central. You'll be supporting people experiencing mental distress and high mental health needs by providing care outside of traditional hospital environments. The role includes leading and running a Day Program. As an Occupational Therapist, you will support tāngata whai ora to identify and achieve their individual goals, enhance independence, and strengthen participation in meaningful daily activities. This includes completing occupational assessments, developing and reviewing support plans, facilitating therapeutic groups within the day programme, supporting wellbeing and recovery planning, and contributing to risk and safety management.

This is a full-time position based in central Auckland. You will be working Monday – Friday, 9am – 5:30pm. Responsibilities include:

• Deliver individual and group occupational therapy interventions for whai ora and taiohi.
• Lead the Day Program and provide home and community-based support.
• Develop and review person-centred support plans in partnership with whai ora, whānau, and the wider team.
• Practise in a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and whānau-centred way.

About You Mōu You will be:

• A NZ registered Occupational Therapist.
• A current full, clean driver's licence.
• A current first aid certificate or be prepared to obtain one.
• An understanding of what you need for your own wellbeing.
• Knowledge of, and demonstrable commitment to, the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Applications Close Rā Katinga: Friday, 13th November 2026. Please note, this advert may close sooner if a suitable candidate is found before the closing date.

For further information, visit our website www.pathways.co.nz Pathways is committed to healthy lifestyles and actively supports a smoke free environment. We encourage people with lived experience of mental illness & addictions to apply.