Description
Sports & Performance Physical Therapist — COVA
Part-time, with a path to full-time Solana Beach, CA $50–$65/hour DOE + weekend differential
COVA Physical Therapy is hiring a sports and orthopedic PT who loves getting results and wants to help build a performance and longevity practice from the ground up.
We are a clinician-owned, one-on-one concierge practice with an in-house Human Performance Lab. Our clients are competitive recreational athletes and highly active adults ages 40–70+, firefighters and tactical professionals, dancers, high school athletes and middle and high school dancers, and people serious about their healthspan. They expect a lot, and we deliver measurable outcomes.
Curated Outcomes for Vitality and Active Lifestyles
COVA stands for Curated Outcomes for Vitality and Active Lifestyles — and every plan we build is curated to the individual. We keep active people active, for decades, not just until discharge.
- Individualized: no cookie-cutter protocols. We find what limits each person and build the plan around their goals.
- Outcome-driven: we set meaningful goals, test objectively, and show clients their progress in numbers.
- Rehab to performance: recovery is the starting line. We carry clients through to strength, power, and resilience.
- Vitality for the long game: prevention and longevity work so clients keep doing what they love at 50, 60, 70 and beyond.
What you'll do
- You'll split your time between high-level orthopedic and sports PT and our Human Performance and Longevity programs.
- Treat concierge clients one-on-one: orthopedic rehab, return-to-sport, and injury prevention for competitive 40–70+ year-old athletes.
- Lead firefighters and concierge clients through our longevity assessment: VO max and metabolic testing, resting metabolic rate, biomechanical screening, and objective strength, power, balance, and mobility testing.
- Turn test results into clear, individualized strength, conditioning, and performance programs — and re-test to prove they worked.
- Explain findings with confidence to clients, fire department leadership, and referral partners.
- Help grow the practice: content, workshops, community events, and partnership outreach. As a small business, we all wear many hats.
- Help shape new specialty programs as COVA expands.
Who you are
- Results-driven. You set measurable goals, track them, and can show you've gotten people there.
- You live it, not just prescribe it. You train, compete, or play — you don't just preach an active lifestyle, you live one. You know firsthand what it takes to stay strong and keep doing what you love, and clients feel that.
- Proactive and self-directed. You spot opportunities and follow through without waiting to be asked.
- A confident, excellent communicator. You translate complex findings into plain, actionable next steps — one-on-one, in a firehouse, or in front of a room.
- A lifelong learner. You chase CEUs, read the research, and want to keep growing.
- Comfortable with high-expectation clients. Motivated adults who want answers energize you.
- Ready to grow with us. You want more than a caseload — you want to help build longevity and performance programs and grow into a bigger role.
Qualifications
Required
- California PT license, or eligible for California licensure
- Strong orthopedic evaluation and clinical reasoning
- Experience with progressive strength training and individualized exercise prescription
- A track record of measurable patient outcomes
- Excellent verbal and written communication
Preferred
- Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS) or Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS)
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- Experience bridging rehab to performance, including return-to-sport programming
Welcome — any of these is a plus
- Longevity, human performance, or exercise physiology testing
- Tactical athletes or firefighters
- Dancer health
- Women's health or pelvic health
- You don't need all of it. Strong foundations, curiosity, and drive matter most — we'll help you build the rest.
Physical requirements
- The essential functions of this role include the following, with or without reasonable accommodation:
- Lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 lbs, and assist with patient transfers and equipment setup
- Frequently bend, twist, squat, kneel, reach, and stoop
- Stand and walk for most of the workday, and move between treatment and testing areas
- Demonstrate exercises and movement patterns, and spot clients during strength and conditioning work
- Provide hands-on manual therapy and guard clients during balance, mobility, and gait activities
- Set up and operate testing equipment, including metabolic carts, force plates, and treadmills or bikes
- Occasionally travel to off-site locations, such as fire stations, for assessments and outreach
Compensation, schedule, and how to apply
- Pay: $50–$65/hour, based on experience and certifications. This is a good-faith estimate of the hourly rate we expect to pay at hire.
- Weekend differential for weekend sessions.
- Schedule: part-time to start, with a clear path to full-time as programs grow.
- Growth: leadership and program-development opportunities as COVA expands.
To apply, send your resume and a short note covering your clinical interests, a result you're proud of, and why COVA appeals to you.
COVA Physical Therapy 427 S Cedros Ave, Suite 101, Solana Beach, CA 92075 covapt.com 858-261-0077
COVA Physical Therapy is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities.
COVA will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose criminal history or complete a background check until after a conditional job offer. Because this role includes treating minors, any offer is contingent on a background check completed after that conditional offer.