How to hire a developmental technician

How to hire a developmental technician, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The developmental technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 developmental technician 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 developmental technician that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of developmental technicians.

   Type of Developmental Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Developmental Technician	Psychiatric technicians and aides care for people who have mental illness and developmental disabilities. Technicians typically provide therapeutic care and monitor their patients’ conditions... Show more	$11-18
   Direct Care Provider	A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly... Show more	$9-20
   Direct Care Worker	A Direct Care Worker's responsibility revolves around overseeing clients' welfare and health care from different ages and conditions. Most of the duties will involve assistance in basic hygienic tasks such as bathing or going to the toilet, performing light chores such as preparing healthy meals and cleaning a bedroom, and ensuring the patient's medication intake aligns with the schedule... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Direct Care
   • Autism
   • Food Preparation
   • Behavioral Training
   • Mental Health
   • Intellectual Disabilities
   • Medical Appointments
   • CPR
   • Facilitate Assessment
   • Mental Illness
   • Patient Care
   • Vital Signs
   • ADL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the behavior of students using the CPI training skills when necessary.
   • Assist individuals with their ADL's yet allowing and encouraging independence.
   • Develop, plan, and run vocational and safety goals for individuals.
   • Assist with ADL's, supervise meals, activities daily, provide a safe and structure environment.
   • Provide rehabilitation opportunities through facilitation of integrate rehabilitation and recreation services.
   • Enhance the independents of individual with DD.

   More developmental technician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, developmental technicians' average salary in idaho is 52% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level developmental technicians earn 38% less than senior-level developmental technicians.
   • Certifications. A developmental technician 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 technician's salary.

   Average developmental technician salary

   $14.99hourly

   $31,175 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level developmental technician salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average developmental technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maine	$32,220	$15
   2	Missouri	$29,236	$14
   3	Tennessee	$26,278	$13
   4	Arkansas	$25,629	$12
   5	Texas	$25,388	$12
   6	Louisiana	$23,529	$11

   Average developmental technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	West Tennessee Healthcare	$37,807	$18.18
   2	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$36,333	$17.47	30
   3	NC.gov	$31,628	$15.21	17
   4	GC Services Limited Partnership	$31,087	$14.95
   5	Walmart	$30,897	$14.85	86
   6	Targa Resources	$29,688	$14.27
   7	Burrell Behavioral Health	$28,216	$13.57	36

4. Writing a developmental technician job description

   A developmental technician 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 technician job description:

   Developmental technician job description example

   Looking to feed your desire to give to your community and support those who need a helping hand? Look no further! Not only is Burrell growing the amount of its resources, services, and facilities to assist as many communities as possible, it also provides plenty of opportunity for growth in your current field and the freedom to explore others. Our culture and our environment are unlike any other. We offer highly-competitive pay and a full range of top-notch full-time employee benefits such as:
   
   MedicalDentalVisionLife InsurancePaid Time OffShort Term DisabilityLong Term DisabilityRetirement PlanTuition ReimbursementStudent Loan ReimbursementEmployee Assistance Program
   Job Description:
   "We are truly in the business of saving lives"
   -Dr. C.J. Davis; President and CEO
   
   Want to know what it's like to work at Burrell?
   Click on the link below to find out -
   Burrell Behavioral Health - Join our Team! - YouTube
   
   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Developmental Support Technician
   $1,000 SIGN ON BONUS* (details at the bottom of post)
   *Daytime, Evening, or Overnight schedules (subject to availability)
   *Full-Time / Part-Time / PRN
   *$hift differential is available for those working overnight hours
   
   What You'll Get To Do:
   Provide supports and coaching to individuals served in their everyday activities of daily living. One of our core values is to engage with the person you support in everything you do and motivate the individual to take an active role in their own life. You will be involved in everything from helping someone learn how to set their daily schedule, complete their hygiene, get dressed, manage their home and form meaningful connections in the community.You will also assist with grocery shopping, helping budget and manage personal funds, completing laundry, meal planning and prep, medical appointments, medication administration and transportation. An Individualized Support Plan will help you understand the person's strengths, needs, goals, dreams, and how to best support them in a home they can be proud to call their own. Paperwork is always a part of the process, but the vast majority of the time you spend at work will be with the individual you support.
   
   Qualifications:
   Must be at least 18 years of age*If you would like to drive while on duty, you must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid driver's license, and a favorable recent driving record. High School diploma/GED.
   
   ***BONUS PAYOUTS ***
   $1,000 for new full-time employees ($500 after 90 days + another $500 after 6 months)
   $750 for new part-time employees($375 after 90 days + another $375 after 6 months)*Scaled bonuses also available for new PRN employees
   
   What we offer:
   Great pay, great schedule, great benefits, and an amazing culture of inclusiveness and positivity. Burrell's dedication to promoting diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion is clearly reflected in all of our content and across all of our agency. Diversity is more than a commitment at Burrell-it is the foundation of what we do. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.
   
   HP123
   
   We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability or veteran status, or to other non-work related factors.
   
   Burrell is a Smoke and Tobacco Free Workplace.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find developmental technicians 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 technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level developmental technicians 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 technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality developmental technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting developmental technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 developmental technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect developmental technician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new developmental technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 technician?