BEHAVIORAL PROGRAM SPECIALIST - 60006308

Requisition No: 856158 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: BEHAVIORAL PROGRAM SPECIALIST - 60006308

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60006308 

Salary:  $33,760.00 to $54,092.40 Annually 

Posting Closing Date: 07/16/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida’s social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency’s mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services. The Office of SAMH is statutorily responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders.

Florida State Hospital (FSH) is a mental health treatment facility owned and operated by the State of Florida and is part of the Department of Children and Families. The department’s mission is to “work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.”

FLORIDA STATE HOSPITAL IS A TOBACCO FREE FACILITY.

TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION RESPONSES TO THE QUALIFYING QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED AND MUST BE VERIFIABLE BASED ON YOUR SUBMITTED APPLICATION.

THIS IS AN ANTICIPATED VACANCY.

This is a highly responsible and professional position that will serve as a Behavioral Program Specialist. This position will collaborate with each section within the state facilities and be required to use independent judgement, take initiative in carrying out duties and responsibilities and should be extraordinarily detail oriented. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities include:

• This position requires lifting, pulling, and squatting. Duties of this position require the incumbent to be knowledgeable of and utilize the principles of Total Quality Management.
• This position carries out the established procedures of the Unit’s Behavioral Program. Assesses behavior and treatment programs by collecting data for use in preparing statistical reports as part of the ongoing care and treatment of residents on several living wards, prepares assessment data for computer input and processing; inputs data collected into computer terminal. Maintains responsibility for selected aspects of ongoing assessment operations. Serves as an experienced Behavioral Program Specialist for training and ongoing monitoring and procedural decisions. Assists the Psychological Staff in monitoring operations and implementing specialized improvements. Provides data to Recovery Team to determine Freedom of Movement status, Level Status of program.
• Collects and compiles data through objective and monitoring of resident behavior by means of the Unit’s Behavioral modules, implements approved variations in established observational procedures as necessary to avoid or resolve problems, conferring and planning with Senior Psychologist beforehand. Assists on Rehab. outings. Assists in discharge of residents as needed.
• Serves as a member of the Service Team. Reports data and assessments to the Service Team. Inputs data into computer terminal; determines priorities for data preparation when necessary and communicates such to other employees. Performs ongoing behavioral assessments of residents. Operates the Token Store. Provides 1:1 sessions with residents on caseload.
• Codes and sorts behavioral data collected by means of the Unit’s Behavior Program for computer processing resident records and clinical interpretation. Prepares recovery plans for a caseload of residents.
• Assists the Senior Psychologist in monitoring the Role Recovery Behavioral Program; assists in identifying problems, irregularities and inefficiencies in established procedures and in the development and implementation of improvements or resolutions.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned.
• Maintains compliance with Unit and FSH mandatory training.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position:

• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of self-care program activities.
• Ability to make behavioral assessments.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate activities.
• Ability to develop and monitor self-care behavioral modification prescriptive treatment plans, activities and programs.
• Ability to teach and apply behavior modification principles.
• Ability to evaluate client services for compliance with program objectives.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Minimum Qualifications:

• An associate's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in nursing, education, or a social, behavioral or rehabilitative science and two years of experience involving the application of behavior modification principles; or
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in nursing, education, or a social, behavioral or rehabilitative science.
• Experience as described above can substitute on a year-for-year basis for the college education.

Preference will be given to applicants who have:

• Current employment at Florida State Hospital.

Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety.

• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
• Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications. 
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of responding to qualifying questions and entering work history.
• If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

DCF EMPLOYMENT DISCLOSURES

US CITIZEN REQUIREMENT Only US citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers will be hired.

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM REGISTRATION All selected male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS).  Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov.

RETIREE NOTICE If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.

BACKGROUND SCREENING It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and, if applicable, also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and Chapter 408, F.S.  No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency.  Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.