BEHAVIORAL SPECIALIST - 60063614

Requisition No: 873493 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: BEHAVIORAL SPECIALIST - 60063614

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60063614 

Salary:  $23.50 per hour 

Posting Closing Date: 04/14/2026 

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. 

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

THIS IS NOT A TELEWORK POSITION.  CANDIDATE WILL BE REQUIRED TO WORK IN THE Tallahassee (Headquarters) OFFICE.

THIS IS A 20 – 25 HOUR PER WEEK OPS POSITION.

SCHEDULE MAY VARY BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT.

This is a highly responsible and professional position that will serve as a Behavioral Specialist within the Sexually Violent Predator Program.  This position involves the management and review of records pertaining to sexual offenders that have been referred to the Sexually Violent Predator Program.  The Behavioral Specialist must be knowledgeable of Florida Statute 394.910 - 394.922 and other statutes and Administrative Rules that may relate to program functions. This position requires knowledge of the factors associated with violent and sexual recidivism as well as the capacity to understand the workings of the criminal justice system.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Maintain a caseload of referrals from the Department of Corrections, Department of Children and Families, State’s Attorneys, and/or Department of Juvenile Justice referrals, remaining vigilant about the release dates during the review process so that the necessary information is received by the Multidisciplinary Team members in a timely manner.
• Request pertinent information from law enforcement and governmental agencies throughout the United States, as appropriate to sex offenders’ criminal history.
• Summarize clinical and forensic data for each referral. Information must be relevant to the evaluation process and succinct in format.
• Accurately input clinically significant data into a program-wide database system. This task requires superior attention to detail.
• Continually monitor a work queue and incoming email for referrals/information requiring immediate attention. Remains sensitive to the referral and release dates so that the files are completed in accordance with legislatively mandated timeframes.     
• Perform additional duties as required.

The Ideal Candidate Will Possess the Ability To:

• Engage cooperatively and professionally with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously with agility and precision.
• Demonstrate flexibility and the ability to succeed both independently and with minimal direction.
• Understand and align with the vision of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program, executing projects, assignments, and policy updates accurately and on time in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborate effectively within a team while also excelling when working independently.
• Analyze challenges and propose thoughtful, practical solutions to complex problems.
• Conduct thorough research to identify and recommend the most strategic and effective course of action—the best “yes.”

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position:

• Knowledge of the theories and principles of clinical, counseling or behavioral psychology.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate effectively.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

• Knowledge of the methods of data collection and analysis.
• Knowledge of basic management principles and practices.
• Ability to collect, evaluate and analyze data to develop alternative recommendations, solve problems, document workflow and other activities relating to the improvement of management practices.
• Ability to organize data into logical format for presentation in reports, documents and other written materials.
• Ability to conduct fact finding research.
• Ability to utilize problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to become CJIS certified.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master's degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field. 

Preference will be given to applicants who have:

• Four years of professional experience in Social Work, Counseling, or Psychology is preferred.
• Experience and knowledge of the factors associated with violent and sexual recidivism as well as the capacity to understand the workings of the criminal justice system. 

Candidate Profile (application) Requirements:

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

• Work History - entered with the most recent/current listed first:
• Any and all State of Florida jobs
• Any and all Florida University jobs
• All periods of employment
• Periods of unemployment
• Gaps 3 months or more*
• Education
• Volunteer Experience
• Include supervisor names and phone numbers including current place of employment.
• *Gaps 3 months or more must be addressed – you will need to account for and explain any gaps in employment including unemployment. You can either list these in your application under Period of Employment or attach a word document listing your gaps.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.
• If claiming Right to First Interview, candidate MUST attach a copy of your official layoff letter when applying. This only applies to employees laid off from Career Service positions.

If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

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.

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.