Job Description

Time commitment:

Full-time (Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm) preferred. We will consider applications for 4 days per week.

Location:

This is a fully remote role, with up to 2 weeks of in-person training in our London office (Paloma will cover all travel costs) spread across the year long programme. You also have the option to work hybridly between home and the London office. Importantly, you must permanently reside within the UK throughout your employment with Paloma.

Reporting to:

Neurodevelopmental Team Manager.

About Paloma

Mark & Darshak founded Paloma as they were frustrated that families are waiting 2-10 years for NHS children's autism and ADHD assessments. Learn more about the crisis in NHS children's neurodevelopmental services from this Children's Commissioner for England here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/blog/childrens-commissioner-warns-of-invisible-crisis-as-delays-and-inequalities-laid-bare-among-children-with-neurodevelopmental-conditions/



Paloma's mission is to make children's autism and ADHD assessments and care available on the NHS within 4 weeks of GP referral. We are making this happen by redesigning care pathways, building new software & AI tools, and training up a specialist clinical workforce.



We are growing incredibly fast to meet the need for autism and ADHD care, and we have:


Raised 5m pre-seed funding from leading healthcare investors (Triple Point Ventures and Heal Capital) Grown our fantastic team to 80 people, and are hiring ~100 more over the next 12 months

How is Paloma Health different from other Neurodevelopmental providers?

We are clinically-led, Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered, and rigorous in recording our outcomes and family experiences. Our in-house product & engineering team ensures we can: + Give families a more consumer-like experience of healthcare + Free our clinicians from documentation to focus on supporting families
Our strong culture, including transparency, a sense of community, and supporting staff career development The experience of our founders (Dr Mark Jenkins & Darshak Shah), who have previously built tech-enabled NHS obesity and ophthalmology services. Combined, their previous companies have treated over 1 million NHS patients in the last 15 years! Being backed by leading healthcare investors (Triple Point Ventures and Heal Capital) allows us to move fast

The Opportunity

We know there are no 'official' training programmes in the UK to be a Neurodevelopmental Assessor in Autism or ADHD for children and young people. We aim to support registered healthcare professionals and registered social workers in developing these skills to deliver high-quality, neuroaffirmative assessments for families.



This 12-month training programme, led by our team of expert Clinical Psychologists, will teach you how to deliver assessments safely, including:


Remote parental interviews and observations (via videocalls) Contributing to MDT diagnostic decision-making, moving towards being able to lead the diagnostic process Tech-enabled outcome report writing Outcome calls with parents and families (via videocall)

If necessary, we will cover any additional training costs, such as attending the ADOS-2 course.



Upon completion of the 12-month programme, you will become a 'Neurodevelopmental Assessor' with a salary increase. This can be the starting point of a career in Neurodevelopmental Assessments, as you can progress from Assessor to Senior Assessor to Principal Assessor with time, when demonstrating the relevant competencies.



We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including:


Regular 1-to-1 clinical supervision Protected time and budgets for professional-specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD), reflection, and training, including formal autism qualifications if desired Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across patient care, administration, development, and team building

Responsibilities:

After completing the appropriate training and being signed off as meeting standards, conduct high-quality neurodevelopmental assessments Act in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy, including conducting a risk assessment where necessary Keep up to date with mandatory training and your professional qualification requirements, including CPD

About you

You are a qualified healthcare professional interested in autism and ADHD assessments, and you are looking to advance your skills to take a more leading role in the assessment and diagnostic process. We look for passionate people who are:


Passionate learners, always looking to improve their professional skills and knowledge Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change Digitally skilled and excited by using new technologies Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience

Qualifications and experience:

Required:


Professional registration including any one of the following: + Occupational therapist (HCPC) + Speech and Language Therapist (HCPC)
+ Nurse, including child developmental children's mental health or learning disability nurse (NMC)
+ Psychologist, including counselling psychologist, educational psychologist and clinical psychologist (HCPC)
+ Medical doctor, including staff grade/specialist roles (GMC)
+ Social Workers (Social Work England)
Experience of working with children and young people in a professional environment Experience of working with autistic individuals in a professional environment Good time management skills High quality communication skills Enhanced DBS with barred list check (as you will be working with children)

Why should you join our team?

You will be part of a mission-driven organisation that's transforming access to NHS Autism and ADHD Assessments. We offer:


A strong and positive culture that prioritises staff well-being, transparency, and career development. Protected time and budget for team connection, learning, and community-building. Salary of 50,000-60,000 per year for allied healthcare professionals (nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists) and social workers, depending on prior relevant experience. Salary of 64,000-68,000 per year for practitioner psychologists (clinical, educational, counselling) and medical doctors, depending on prior relevant experience. Annual salary reviews, 5% employer pension, and company laptop. Share options in Paloma Health. We all benefit from our success! A unique leave benefits package which includes: + 33 days of annual leave, including bank holidays + Your birthday off
+ Option to buy an additional 5 days per year
+ An additional 10 days of paid sabbatical leave every three completed years of service (which means 43 days of leave in year four at Paloma!)
Access to wellbeing services for mental and physical health Access to NHS discounts, including the Blue Light Card (as we are an NHS provider)

Repayment clause

Paloma is making a significant investment in your training, and there are no other NHS training programmes for Autism and ADHD assessors. To reflect this, there is a Repayment clause for our Foundation Autism Assessor training programme if you leave Paloma before 24 months of employment have passed. The total training cost to Paloma is 80,000 per trainee, and the repayment is 15,000 (19% of the training costs) if you leave within year 1 and 7,500 (9% of programme costs) if you leave within year 2.

Equality & Diversity

Paloma Health is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and throughout the application process. We do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic.

Accommodations

We're glad to accommodate candidates who need adjustments throughout the hiring process. We encourage you to be open about the adjustments you need so that we can adapt our interview process accordingly.

Safer Recruitment & Pre-Employment Checks

Paloma Health ensures that supporting people to be safe is at the heart of our work and a key priority across all areas of the organisation. As part of our pre-employment checks, you will be asked to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Depending on your role within the business, this will be at either an Enhanced, Standard, or Basic level. We are committed to safer recruitment practices and expect all applicants to share our dedication to safeguarding. Our recruitment processes are designed to ensure we appoint individuals who are aligned with our values and who will contribute to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone we work with.

Join us and be part of our journey to revolutionise access to Neurodevelopmental Assessments for families in England!