How to hire a behavioral specialist

How to hire a behavioral specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step behavioral 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 behavioral specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new behavioral specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a behavioral specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a behavioral specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a behavioral specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a behavioral specialist that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of behavioral specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Behavioral Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Behavioral Specialist	Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or other behavioral problems. They provide treatment and support to help the client recover from addiction or modify problem behaviors.	$13-29
   Youth Advocate	Youth advocates are individuals who responsible for maintaining the human rights of youth while assisting them in developing their skills in all areas of life, such as education, health, employment, and relationships. These advocates are required to discuss youth development and involvement with various leaders in the community... Show more	$12-19
   Program Counselor	A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum... Show more	$15-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Autism
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Rehabilitation
   • Social Work
   • ABA
   • Behavior Analysis
   • Patients
   • Community Resources
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Data Collection
   • Behavior Management
   • Intervention Techniques

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Observe patients and strategically prepare and manage clinical analysis of individuals and their progress in conjunction with formulate behavior goals.
   • Implement a CPR training program for 20 staff serving 50 clients with mental illness.
   • Guide student achievement according to district's math content standards, utilizing identify needs information.
   • Assist children with autism or other developmental disabilities with activities and therapeutic socialization to improve social skills and academic performance.
   • Attend ETR meetings and provide input on students.
   • Sanitize toys and play equipment each day to maintain safety and cleanliness.

   More behavioral specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your behavioral specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A behavioral specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, behavioral specialists' average salary in oklahoma is 64% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level behavioral specialists 54% less than senior-level behavioral specialists.
   • Certifications. A behavioral specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a behavioral specialist's salary.

   Average behavioral specialist salary

   $42,029yearly

   $20.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level behavioral specialist salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average behavioral specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$94,241	$45
   2	Washington	$58,642	$28
   3	Maryland	$51,104	$25
   4	California	$50,624	$24
   5	Oregon	$49,941	$24
   6	Pennsylvania	$48,881	$24
   7	New York	$47,642	$23
   8	New Jersey	$46,147	$22
   9	New Hampshire	$45,598	$22
   10	Virginia	$45,103	$22
   11	Illinois	$44,330	$21
   12	Nebraska	$42,355	$20
   13	Massachusetts	$42,330	$20
   14	Colorado	$39,390	$19
   15	Wisconsin	$39,358	$19
   16	Montana	$37,616	$18
   17	Florida	$36,184	$17
   18	Missouri	$35,659	$17
   19	Arizona	$35,482	$17
   20	Iowa	$34,215	$16

   Average behavioral specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Barbarian	$70,059	$33.68
   2	Boston Public Schools	$66,801	$32.12	4
   3	Children's National Medical Center	$61,869	$29.74	11
   4	East Alabama Health	$60,528	$29.10	6
   5	Western Pennsylvania Hospital	$60,015	$28.85
   6	May Institute	$58,681	$28.21	11
   7	H Mart	$57,878	$27.83
   8	Chileda	$56,913	$27.36	2
   9	Lifetime Assistance	$55,292	$26.58	4
   10	National Mentor Holdings Inc.	$55,005	$26.44
   11	Merakey	$54,643	$26.27	151
   12	Help Inc	$52,730	$25.35	10
   13	Rady Children's Hospital And Health Center	$51,838	$24.92	9
   14	CFG Health Systems	$51,731	$24.87	8
   15	Hope Community Resources Inc	$51,146	$24.59
   16	UP Education Network	$50,615	$24.33	3
   17	Sunny Days	$50,338	$24.20	56
   18	Frontline	$49,997	$24.04	1
   19	Washington State University	$49,946	$24.01	1
   20	Montage Health	$48,833	$23.48	4

4. Writing a behavioral specialist job description

   A behavioral 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 behavioral specialist job description:

   Behavioral specialist job description example

   Job Description| Position: | Behavior Specialist
   | Job Status: | Grade 12, Step depends on experience & qualifications
   | Classification: | Exempt
   | Supervisor: | Head Start / Early Head Start Assistant Director
   | Program-Department: | Head Start-Child Health & Development
   | Date of Last Revision: | New 6/1/2022 The individual selected for the position must be able to perform the essential functions of the position either with or without reasonable accommodation.
   
   I. General Responsibilities: It is the responsibility of all EOAC employees to support EOAC’s mission and goals, respect the confidentiality of all who come to us for information or assistance and personally maintain the dignity and integrity of one placed in a position of public trust. We all bear the responsibility of improving the organization, communicating openly, empowering each other to excel at our work, and maintaining the confidentiality of client/agency information as required by State and Federal laws, appropriate regulations, and professional practice standards.
   
   II. Primary Purpose: To provide classroom support regarding behavior management, training, and documentation for children enrolled in the Head Start program who have emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, Autism, and behavioral problems. Perform individual and collective services to help children and families enrolled in the program resolve personal, emotional, and social issues that interfere with the child’s progress in school readiness goals. III. Qualifications: · Master’s degree from an accredited college· Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW/LICSW) with additional clinical training or Licensed professional counselor (LPC) or licensed mental health counselor (LMHS) with a master's in counseling (Highly Preferred)· Knowledge of prevention and intervention strategies, including behavior management interventions· Knowledge of Academic and/or Behavior goal-setting process and implementation of leadership skills· Strong organizational, communication (written and oral), and interpersonal skills IV. Special Knowledge/Skills: · Knowledge of individual and group counseling skills· Knowledge and skills working collectively and 1:1 with children· Strong consultation skills for conferencing with teachers, parents, and children· Knowledge of prevention and intervention strategies, including behavior management interventions· Knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)· Experience with writing behavior plans (Child Action Plans) and making behavioral recommendations V. Minimum Experience Two years of experience VI. Major Responsibilities & Duties 1. Develop functional behavior assessments and create Child Action Plans (if warranted) for children.2. Provide training for all staff on implementing the Child Action Plan and findings of the functional behavior assessment.3. Assist in developing Child Action Plans, counseling, and social work goals.4. Conduct staffing to review Child Action Plans with parents and staff.5. Consult with staff regarding implementing individual plans and managing children with disruptive behaviors.6. Provide counseling to children per the Child Action Plan and complete necessary documentation in ChildPlus.7. Provide staff development training to assist staff with understanding children with emotional, social, and behavioral disturbances.8. Implement and monitor the agency behavior model, Conscious Discipline, in classrooms with children exhibiting challenging behavior.9. Consult with teachers and relevant staff concerning the educational needs of children.10. Develop and maintain effective individual and group relationships with children and parents.11. Comply with all child care licensing, Head Start/Early Head Start regulations, and developmentally appropriate practice. 12. Participate in professional development activities to improve skills related to job assignments.13. Maintain a positive and effective relationship with supervisors.
   
   Supervisory Responsibilities: None

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right behavioral specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with behavioral specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit behavioral specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit behavioral specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 behavioral specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the behavioral specialist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new behavioral specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 behavioral specialist?