How to hire a developmental specialist

How to hire a developmental specialist, step by step

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

What does a developmental specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the developmental specialist you need to hire. Certain developmental 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

   A developmental specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, developmental specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of developmental specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Developmental Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Developmental 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.	$14-27
   Family Support Worker	A family service worker is a social service agent who assesses the needs of family and promotes wellbeing, social justice, and human rights through governmental and social service agencies. Family service workers offer services that can include counseling and mediation to families that will help them navigate the protocols of the social system... Show more	$12-25

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Autism
   • Intellectual Disabilities
   • Developmental Delays
   • Support Services
   • Early Intervention
   • CPR
   • Children Birth
   • Patients
   • Intervention Services
   • Service Coordination
   • Mental Health
   • Physical Therapy

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide PSR services to clients with mental illness in order to help them achieve the highest standard of living possible.
   • Team leader in charge of receiving referrals make for children on the autism spectrum, communication delays and/or behavioral challenges.
   • Participate in weekly individual therapy sessions with young children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder.
   • Facilitate positive consumer and personal relationships base on positive consumer and personal relationships base on courtesy, compassion, and respect.
   • Participate in transition classes for children transferring from EI services to daycare and Headstart settings.4.
   • Monitor the completion of ASQ's.

   More developmental specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, developmental specialists' average salary in georgia is 48% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level developmental specialists earn 47% less than senior-level developmental specialists.
   • Certifications. A developmental 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 developmental specialist's salary.

   Average developmental specialist salary

   $42,829yearly

   $20.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level developmental specialist salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average developmental specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$50,678	$24
   2	Nevada	$49,423	$24
   3	Oregon	$47,919	$23
   4	Pennsylvania	$45,992	$22
   5	Idaho	$43,967	$21
   6	Ohio	$42,251	$20
   7	New York	$41,353	$20
   8	Maryland	$40,083	$19
   9	Utah	$39,361	$19
   10	Arizona	$38,718	$19
   11	Massachusetts	$38,668	$19
   12	Florida	$38,570	$19
   13	Indiana	$36,568	$18

   Average developmental specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	UMass Memorial Health	$55,282	$26.58	3
   2	New York State Restaurant Association	$53,850	$25.89
   3	Horace Mann	$44,407	$21.35
   4	South Bay Mental Health Center	$43,687	$21.00
   5	Yukon Kuskokwim Health	$43,494	$20.91
   6	State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc	$43,398	$20.86	3
   7	Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities	$42,309	$20.34	1
   8	Criterion Child Enrichment	$41,901	$20.14	4
   9	Provider Solutions & Development	$41,626	$20.01
   10	North Suffolk Mental Health	$41,239	$19.83
   11	People Inc of Va	$41,136	$19.78	5
   12	Peoples Services	$41,023	$19.72	2
   13	Liberty Healthcare	$40,908	$19.67	5
   14	Vinfen	$40,591	$19.51	7
   15	Rady Children's Hospital And Health Center	$40,412	$19.43	8
   16	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$39,988	$19.23
   17	Enable	$39,949	$19.21
   18	HOPE Services Hawaii	$39,762	$19.12	3
   19	CommunityHealthlink	$39,708	$19.09
   20	AHRC New York City Foundation	$39,606	$19.04	1

4. Writing a developmental specialist job description

   A developmental 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 developmental specialist job description:

   Developmental specialist job description example

   • High School diploma
   • 1+ years of experience working with children, or 24+ college credits completed in a related field of study
   • Valid driver's license & reliable vehicle
   • Web Enabled Device (laptop or tablet)
   • Positive attitude and strong people skills to work with children and families

   Compensation:

   • $17.00 - $18.00 per hour based on experience, education, and certifications

   SCHEDULE:

   • Part-Time & Full Time (30+ hrs/week) available
   • Part Time schedules must have availability at least 3 weekdays with the same availability
   • Full Time schedules require availability Mon-Fri during regular daytime working hours
   • Schedules and hours will be confirmed during training, and staff will be matched with clients based on their schedule availability and proximity to available clients

   Benefits:

   Our team members may be eligible for the following benefits:

   • Coursework and Competency Check to obtain the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification.
   • Drive time pay between sessions
   • University partnership & tuition assistance for eligible employees
   • Supervision towards BCBA credential available

   Growth and Development:

   Our Child Interventionist will complete training to become a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). RBTs are 'helping professionals' that teach children affected by autism important life skills. RBTs work on goals such as functional communication, socializing with peers, and sharing with others. Butterfly Effects' RBTs receive training to make a meaningful change in the life of a child and their family.

   Physical Demands:

   Working with clients in their natural environments may require you to lift or move approximately 50 lbs. and be able to assume and maintain a variety of postures (kneeling, squatting, sitting, standing) for extended periods of time.

   Who are we?

   Butterfly Effects has served more than 10,000 families since our inception in 2005. We have a long history of improving the lives of children and families affected by autism spectrum disorder through our family-centric applied behavior analysis (ABA) approach. Our mission is to deliver ABA treatment in partnership with families affected by autism to foster a more joyous life.

   A national leader in autism treatment, Butterfly Effects employs more than 100 board-certified behavior analysts (BCBA) and 800 behavior technicians. The 12 states we serve are locally managed by a regional director and team of BCBAs. Our corporate office located in Deerfield Beach, Florida is home to our leadership team and administrative staff who assist with daily operations, including client services, human resources, talent acquisition, finance, revenue cycle management, quality assurance, compliance, professional development, and professional ethics.

   Our butterfly logo was chosen as a symbol of love, rebirth, and metamorphosis. Together, the name and logo represent our common purpose and deep commitment to helping families create lasting change through individualized ABA therapy.

   For more information, please visit www.butterflyeffects.com.

   #INDNOLA

   
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find developmental specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any developmental specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level developmental specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit developmental 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.

   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 developmental specialist

   Once you've selected the best developmental 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been 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 developmental specialist?