A positive future for every child

Southwest Human Development is Arizona’s largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development. The first five years of life are the most critical in a child’s development. At Southwest Human Development, our services improve lives and help families by supporting young children and their caregivers during this important time.

Your skills, experience, and passion are needed at one of the nation’s largest nonprofits dedicated to early childhood development. Join our team and experience a long-term career which brings joy and satisfaction in knowing you make a difference. We offer over 40 programs and services to more than 140,000 children.

Why choose us?

• You will be rewarded with benefits, including zero contribution health plan options, 401K plan, wellness programming, and generous paid time off.
• You will have the opportunity to represent a highly respected non-profit agency in Arizona.
• You will enjoy a supportive and collaborative work environment.

Job title: Pediatric Feeding Therapist

Southwest Human Development (SWHD)and the Birth to Five Center of Excellence team is seeking a Pediatric Feeding Therapist who has expertise in working with children birth to five to join our team-based, transdisciplinary model providing comprehensive evaluations and ongoing services to children and their families. The position would include a combination of consultation and direct services. Services are provided in clinics, home and community settings within the Phoenix metropolitan area. Telehealth services are available statewide.

Our Birth to Five Center of Excellence specializes in children ages birth to five and our areas of expertise include: complex developmental needs, feeding and eating difficulties, fragile infants, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental delays due to trauma.

In this role you will:

• Provides services that are family-centered and relationship-based.
• Conduct screening and assessment activities with children with feeding difficulties. Feeding difficulties may include but are not limited to a child’s ability to suck, chew, swallow food safely, refusal to eat, aversions to food, or limited intake.
• Integrates developmental history, informal assessment, behavioral observation, and other professional assessment data with standardized testing information to reflect a holistic view of the child and his/her needs.
• Participates in planning and implementing appropriate feeding therapy intervention.
• Designs individualized goals and objectives so that they are developmentally appropriate, functional in nature, and related to on-going routines of the home or class.
• Facilitates collaboration with parents, teachers, and other professional staff through regular contact, paperwork (e.g. progress notes), and designated team meetings.
• Facilitates a smooth transition for child and family into the next program placement.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to linguistic, cultural, social, economic, individual and role differences among persons and families served.

What it takes:

• A licensed speech or occupational therapist in the state of Arizona is required.
• A candidate with a minimum of one year of experience working with children under the age of five with feeding difficulties is required.
• A candidate with a minimum of three years experience serving children under the age of five is preferred.
• Experience working within a transdisciplinary team is preferred.
• Experience providing consultation to community professionals is preferred.
• Possess an insured & reliable vehicle and a valid AZ driver’s license.
• Valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card - OR - must qualify for a valid Arizona Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card

SWHD takes the health and safety of our employees and the communities we serve very seriously. We strongly believe vaccination is a critical safety measure to protect each of us and the communities we serve. COVID vaccinations have proven to be highly effective at protecting people from getting COVID-19 or from getting severely ill from it.

Learn more!

Our core values embody Southwest Human Development’s commitment to services that uplift the lives of children, families and other care providers, and the communities in which they live. These values are intended to guide the professional development, ethical conduct, and skilled practice of all our staff, whatever their specific role within the agency. All staff are valued as making essential contributions to strengthening the foundation that Arizona’s children need for a great start in life. Learn more about our values and benefits here.