How to hire a behavior support specialist

How to hire a behavior support specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step behavior support specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a behavior support specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new behavior support specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a behavior support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the behavior support specialist you need to hire. Certain behavior support specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect behavior support specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of behavior support specialists.

   Type of Behavior Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Behavior Support Specialist	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$13-22
   Therapeutic Support Staff	A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs... Show more	$12-20
   Behavior Analyst	A behavior analyst is responsible for supporting patients and students with mental and social difficulties, developing treatment plans to address their learning and/or social disabilities. Behavior analysts monitor the students' progress by evaluating their learning and providing them with comprehensive materials and resources according to a targeted curriculum... Show more	$24-50

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Autism
   • ABA
   • Behavior Analysis
   • Classroom Management
   • Foster Care
   • Direct Support
   • CPR
   • Professional Development
   • Community Resources
   • Behavioral Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Observe patients and strategically prepare and manage clinical analysis of individuals and their progress in conjunction with formulate behavior goals.
   • Establish a positive relationship with parents through IEP meetings and teacher web page.
   • Provide task assessments, implement ABA techniques and record and graph client s progression on a weekly basis.
   • Comply with HIPPA confidentiality regulations.
   • Maintain client confidentiality and follow HIPPA regulations.
   • Collaborate with administration to build PBIS systems handbook for faculty and paraprofessionals.

   More behavior support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your behavior support specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A behavior support specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, behavior support specialists' average salary in virginia is 34% less than in north dakota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level behavior support specialists earn 39% less than senior-level behavior support specialists.
   • Certifications. A behavior support specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a behavior support specialist's salary.

   Average behavior support specialist salary

   $36,769yearly

   $17.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level behavior support specialist salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average behavior support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$45,050	$22
   2	California	$42,285	$20
   3	Colorado	$42,258	$20
   4	Texas	$41,487	$20
   5	Wisconsin	$41,273	$20
   6	Kansas	$38,923	$19
   7	New York	$38,093	$18
   8	Illinois	$37,678	$18
   9	Delaware	$37,021	$18
   10	Arizona	$36,363	$17
   11	Pennsylvania	$35,939	$17
   12	Tennessee	$35,815	$17
   13	Michigan	$33,082	$16
   14	Missouri	$32,960	$16
   15	Maryland	$32,032	$15

   Average behavior support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Texas	$43,514	$20.92	73
   2	Chicago Public Schools	$39,930	$19.20	20
   3	Arrow Child And Family Ministries	$39,783	$19.13	4
   4	Upbring	$39,750	$19.11
   5	Mental Health & Mental Retardation Treatment Ctr	$39,136	$18.82
   6	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$38,612	$18.56
   7	Elk Grove Unified School District	$38,518	$18.52
   8	Rochester City School District	$37,841	$18.19
   9	Simi Valley Unified School District	$37,672	$18.11	1
   10	Milton Hershey School	$37,576	$18.07	1
   11	Lutheran Social Services of Michigan	$36,568	$17.58	1
   12	D.A. Blodgett - St. John's	$36,288	$17.45	4
   13	Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin	$36,104	$17.36	11
   14	Grandville Public Schools	$36,062	$17.34	1
   15	Keystone Human Services	$35,672	$17.15	11
   16	Melmark New England	$35,632	$17.13	7
   17	West Virginia University	$35,295	$16.97	4
   18	Developmental Disabilities Institute, Inc.	$35,133	$16.89	5
   19	Newhall School District	$35,040	$16.85	2
   20	Acld	$34,856	$16.76	33

4. Writing a behavior support specialist job description

   A behavior support specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a behavior support specialist job description:

   Behavior support specialist job description example

   Are you looking for an opportunity to advance your career while working with an extraordinary team? At Merakey, we put heart and soul into everything we do. We are seeking Behavior Support Specialist to join our team at our program in Jackson, Tennessee.
   Earn $20/hour.
   
   Position Details
   
   The Mental Health Worker works with and adheres to the safety and welfare of all consumers with mental and behavioral health diagnoses in their residential programs while carrying out direct care responsibilities and participates in and follows the treatment planning process.
   
   BENEFITS
   
   Merakey offers competitive compensation plans, Work/Life balance, flexible schedules, cell phone discount plan, employee referral bonuses, tuition reimbursement and much more!
   
   To fill out an on-line application: www.merakey.org/careers
   
   
   ECF and ECF Choices Services help people gain as much independence as possible. People are supported to live with their family or in the community, not in an institution.
   
   Employment and Community First CHOICES can help the person explore the possibility of working. Services can also help people learn skills for work, find a job, and keep a job. This could be a part-time job, a full-time job or self-employment.
   
   Working helps people earn money, learn new skills, meet new people, and play an important role in their communities. Work can also help people stay healthy and build self-confidence.
   
   Other services help people learn and do things at home and in the community that help people achieve their goals. If a person lives at home with their family, the services help the family support the person to become as independent as possible. Services also help people get actively involved in their communities and include peer supports for the person and for their family.
   
   * Five years' of experience in IDD "AND" mental health- with High School Diploma or GED. OR
   * Associates degree in a related human service field and 3 years' experience in IDD "OR" mental health OR (Preferred)
   * Bachelor's degree in a related human service field and 1 year of experience in IDD or Mental Health.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find behavior support specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your behavior support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit behavior support specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with behavior support specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new behavior support specialist

   Once you've selected the best behavior support specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a behavior support specialist?