How to hire a Behavior Analyst

How to hire a behavior analyst, step by step

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

What does a Behavior Analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The behavior analyst 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 behavior analyst 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 behavior analyst that fits the bill.

   This list presents behavior analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Behavior Analyst	Description	Hourly Rate
   Behavior Analyst	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.	$24-50
   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
   Family Counselor	A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.	$12-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Autism
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • BCBA
   • ABA
   • Behavior Analysis
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Functional Behavior Assessments
   • Patients
   • CPR
   • Autism Spectrum Disorder
   • Social Work
   • Adaptive
   • Data Analysis
   • Behavior Management

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
   • Conduct apply behavior analysis with children diagnose with autism spectrum disorders; collect and analyze data relate to behavioral trials.
   • Obtain RBT, CPR, CPI certification.
   • Go to different cases with kids that have autism and work to alter behavior.
   • Coordinate the changes with fire protection and hazardous materials supervisors at various DoD installations.
   • Focus primarily on functional communication and language, appropriate play skills, social skills, self-help skills, and parent training.

   More Behavior Analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, behavior analysts' average salary in nebraska is 36% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level behavior analysts earn 51% less than senior-level behavior analysts.
   • Certifications. A behavior analyst 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 analyst's salary.

   Average behavior analyst salary

   $73,616yearly

   $35.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level behavior analyst salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 26, 2025

   Average behavior analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$93,846	$45
   2	Connecticut	$89,883	$43
   3	New York	$89,412	$43
   4	Nevada	$85,353	$41
   5	Arizona	$83,427	$40
   6	Massachusetts	$80,872	$39
   7	Texas	$80,352	$39
   8	Maryland	$80,248	$39
   9	Oklahoma	$79,408	$38
   10	Pennsylvania	$78,890	$38
   11	Virginia	$78,500	$38
   12	Georgia	$78,476	$38
   13	Illinois	$77,910	$37
   14	Kansas	$75,610	$36
   15	Florida	$75,132	$36
   16	Tennessee	$74,767	$36
   17	Hawaii	$74,152	$36
   18	Colorado	$72,868	$35
   19	Utah	$71,731	$34
   20	Missouri	$69,555	$33

   Average behavior analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Empower U	$92,219	$44.34	1
   2	UofL Hospital	$89,065	$42.82	7
   3	Maxim Healthcare Group	$88,450	$42.52	118
   4	St. Mary's Health Care System	$86,511	$41.59
   5	Halifax Health	$84,977	$40.85
   6	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$84,754	$40.75
   7	Epic Health Services	$84,546	$40.65	4
   8	Woods Services	$83,768	$40.27	4
   9	Edward Jones	$83,559	$40.17
   10	Unm Medical Group, Inc.	$83,093	$39.95	1
   11	Constellation Health Services	$82,266	$39.55	8
   12	Health Connect America	$81,306	$39.09	23
   13	Chime	$81,060	$38.97	30
   14	Horace Mann	$79,582	$38.26	3
   15	Soliant	$79,278	$38.11
   16	National Mentor Holdings Inc.	$78,616	$37.80
   17	THERAPY SOLUTIONS	$78,309	$37.65	5
   18	Humanim	$78,201	$37.60	1
   19	West Virginia University	$77,857	$37.43	16
   20	Mercy Children's Hospital	$77,469	$37.24	1

4. Writing a Behavior Analyst Job Description

   A job description for a behavior analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a behavior analyst job description:

   Behavior Analyst job description example

   Contracted Consultant, Per Diem, $80/HR .

   Qualifications- BCBA (required) Current Certification

   Flexible Schedule/ Make your own schedule

   BCBAs needed in the Carbon, Monroe, Pike County Areas

   Step By Step, Inc. is currently seeking Board Certified Behavior Analysts to provide behavioral health treatment and consultative services to newly diagnosed children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families in our Immediate Diagnosis and Early Assistance Program (IDEA Program). The IDEA program was developed to be an introduction for children and families into Behavioral Health services. The IDEA program and BCBA involved with each child, is integral in examining the client’s unique set of needs, providing services, and linking them to additional services and resources, as appropriate.

   This is a contractual position. BCBAs should be available to devote a minimum of 2 hours per week for each client they provide services to.

   The IDEA Program Director initiates and assists with client intakes and provides materials, including assessment paperwork and other necessary items to facilitate client sessions.

   Job Responsibilities:

   -Provide weekly ABA therapy to children ages 18 month to five years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

   -Develop and Provide Communication Programming

   -Assess Client Progress

   - Consult with families, answer questions, and make referrals to other appropriate resources.
   

   Step By Step is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer . At Step By Step, we are committed to and value an inclusive and diverse workforce and we believe that diversity and inclusion among our workforce is critical to our success. Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and staff without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, political affiliation, parental status and any other characteristics or protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. All employment decisions are based upon qualifications, merit, and business necessity.

   #LI-TW1

   
   

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right behavior analyst 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 behavior analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit behavior analysts 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 behavior analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit behavior analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with behavior analyst 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect behavior analyst 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with 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 behavior analyst?