BEHAVIOR SUPPORT TECHNICIAN TRAINEE

Code: 54892 State Non-Competitive Range: P95 (FY 2027) Work week 40: FLSA coveredOvertime table (4A:3, Appx. A)

Salary: $55,690.52 - $58,222.22/year FY 2027 schedule (last updated 2026-07-27)

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Examples of work

• Under professional supervision, learns to establish behavior support programs for individual clients and provide leadership to therapy program assistants, technicians, and other paraprofessional employees engaged in carrying out these programs; learns to instruct such employees in performing that portion of their jobs which relates directly to these individual behavior support programs.
• Learns to instruct and train personnel providing various behavior support techniques and programs including self help skills, decrease of disruptive behavior, increasing positive social interaction, time out and differential reinforcement procedures, and reward systems; provides assistance to staff as needed to ensure the effectiveness of therapeutic procedures.
• Learns to requisition, store, safeguard, distribute, and record behavior support equipment, materials, and supplies; advises paraprofessional employees of their proper use.
• Learns to take the measures prescribed for the care, custody, welfare, and safety of residents; ensures that areas where behavior support interventions are carried out are maintained in a clean, neat, and safe condition.
• Learns to maintain and submit essential records, files, and charts of the individual progress of each resident involved in behavior support programs.
• Learns to prepare and submit factual reports of residents' participation, progress, and change to the immediate supervisor and appropriate evaluation and review committees.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• May be required to engage in lifting clients when working in a setting, which provides direct services to clients who are non ambulant, or who are semi ambulant and/or have severe physical handicaps.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Special Education, Sociology, Guidance and Counseling, Social Work, or other similar behavioral science program.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

<b>SPECIAL NOTE:</b>

Ability to physically lift, move, and position clients as needed.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of the problems of persons confined in institutions for the mentally ill or developmentally disabled.
• Knowledge of the problems involved in working with the mentally ill or developmentally disabled.
• Ability to gain a working knowledge of the techniques, materials and procedures used in behavior support work and the objectives and limitations of such activities.
• Ability to learn quickly from oral and written instructions and demonstrations.
• Ability to learn and comprehend the purposes of the behavior support program.
• Ability to provide guidance and assistance to employees acting as assistants in a behavior support program.
• Ability to learn to train personnel to assist in the utilization of behavior support techniques including time out and differential reinforcement procedures, reward systems, and other measures.
• Ability to learn to train personnel to assist in the conduct of programs of behavior support designed to foster self help skills, decrease disruptive behavior, and increase positive social interaction, or to modify other behavior which may be detrimental to the individual.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with supervisors, professional staff, work assistants, other employees, and residents.
• Ability to learn to prepare accurate records of residents' progress, materials used, and other necessary reports.
• Ability to learn to use crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to learn to utilize various type of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• <b>ADVANCMENT</b>
• Appointees who successfully complete the required 12 month training period will be eligible for advancement to the title of Behavior Support Technician in accordance with Department of Personnel procedures.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

The inability of an employee in this title to attain a level of performance warranting advancement to the title listed above shall be considered as cause for separation.