Physical Therapist / Performance Coach

NAKOA Fitness and Physical Therapy

📍Carlsbad, CA
💰 $80,000 - $92,000
Posted May 21, 2026
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Job Overview

Position

Physical Therapist / Performance Coach

Company

NAKOA Fitness and Physical Therapy

Location

Carlsbad, CA

Work Type

On-site

Salary Range

$80,000 - $92,000

Job ID

li-4413074059

Job Description

About NAKOA

NAKOA is a hybrid performance and rehabilitation facility built for people who want to stay active for life. Our team of physical therapists and coaches works with everyone from professional athletes and youth competitors to active adults recovering from injury. We combine evidence-based physical therapy with strength and performance training so clients don't just recover — they come back stronger.

Our mission is simple: help people move better, perform better, and stay active for life. The environment is collaborative, high-energy, and built around 1:1 care and long-term client relationships.

The Role

We're looking for a Physical Therapist who loves working with active people and wants to practice somewhere that blends rehabilitation, strength training, and performance coaching. You'll work with a diverse caseload — athletes, post-surgical patients, and active adults — in 45-minute, 1:1 sessions (typically 10–12 patients per day, no double-booking). You'll partner closely with our coaching staff to design integrated rehab and performance plans that move clients from the treatment table back to the activities they love.

What You'll Do

  • Provide individualized PT evaluation and treatment in 1:1 sessions

  • Build rehab programs that integrate strength and movement training

  • Collaborate with performance coaches to transition clients from rehabilitation to performance

  • Treat a wide range of orthopedic and post-surgical cases

  • Develop lasting client relationships that support long-term lifestyle change

  • Contribute to a team culture of continual learning and case discussion

What We're Looking For

  • Licensed Physical Therapist (or license-eligible) in California

  • 1+ years of clinical experience preferred; strong new grads with relevant internships welcome

  • Comfortable coaching foundational strength movements (squat, hinge, press, carry) and progressing patients into the gym floor

  • Experience with — or genuine interest in — return-to-sport progressions and movement analysis

  • Strong communicator who can build trust quickly with active, motivated clients

  • Self-directed in treatment approach while thriving in a collaborative team

Compensation & Benefits

  • Salary: $80,000–$92,000 depending on experience

  • Health insurance reimbursement that increases with time at the company

  • Paid time off and holidays

  • $1,000 annual continuing education stipend

  • Mentorship from senior clinicians and coaches

Why NAKOA

  • Caseload built around active, engaged clients — not insurance-driven volume

  • True integration with strength and performance coaches under one roof

  • Autonomy in your clinical approach, backed by a team that pushes each other to keep learning

  • A positive, team-focused culture where therapists and coaches actually collaborate
✦

Interview Prep

AI-powered insights to help you prepare

Key Skills

Required:
Preferred:

Practice Questions

💡Technical Questions (3)
  • 1.How do you integrate foundational strength movements like the squat, hinge, or press into a post-surgical rehabilitation plan to transition a client from the treatment table to the gym floor?
  • 2.Walk me through your process for conducting a return-to-sport progression and movement analysis for an active adult who has cleared standard rehab but wants to get back to competitive recreational sports.
  • 3.At NAKOA, you'll treat 10-12 patients per day in 45-minute 1:1 sessions without double-booking. How do you structure your evaluation and treatment to maximize this time while building a comprehensive rehab-to-performance plan?
🎯Behavioral Questions (3)
  • 1.Tell me about a time you collaborated with a strength coach or another healthcare provider to transition a client from rehab to performance. What was your role, and what was the outcome?
  • 2.Describe a situation where you had to build trust quickly with a highly motivated, active client who was frustrated by an injury limiting their lifestyle. How did you handle it?
  • 3.Give me an example of a time you had to be self-directed in your clinical approach but also knew when to seek mentorship or input from a team. How did you balance that?
🧩Situational Questions (2)
  • 1.You are treating an active adult for a shoulder injury, and they are eager to get back to their competitive CrossFit or lifting routine. You feel they need more foundational rehab, but they insist on returning to high-intensity pressing movements immediately. How do you handle this?
  • 2.A client you've been treating is ready to transition from 1:1 physical therapy to working with a NAKOA performance coach on the gym floor. How do you facilitate this handoff to ensure it's seamless and the client feels supported?

Resume Keywords

Make sure these keywords appear on your resume

Physical TherapyPerformance CoachingOrthopedic RehabilitationStrength TrainingReturn-to-SportMovement Analysis1:1 Patient CareCollaborative TreatmentPost-Surgical RehabActive Adults

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