Behavior Specialist (Contractor)

By The Hand Club For Kids is a Christian, after-school program that emphasizes academic excellence while nurturing the whole child – mind, body and soul. Located in Chicago’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, By The Hand helps children have abundant life. The culture of By The Hand is Christ-centered, people-focused and results oriented. While loving and nurturing, By The Hand has a strong results-orientation, a very structured program and a growth mindset that believes with hard work we can all continue to learn and grow. 

Joining By The Hand’s incredible mission as an abundant life builder means jumping right into the work of healing and hope on behalf of our extraordinary children. You’ll have the opportunity of a lifetime to impact the trajectory of generations of stories; helping students soar to success in their academic performance, practice personal accountability and, even more importantly, grow in their understanding of God and their relationship with Jesus. 

By The Hand is a not-for-profit, religious organization. Individuals employed at By The Hand are working in ministerial roles and perform all or some of the following responsibilities: sharing the Gospel, teaching chapel, leading Bible studies, discipling students, and modeling behavior that is consistent with Christ’s teaching. 

Rate of Pay: $25 per hour for 8 hours per week for 32 weeks per year

Overview of Position

Behavior Specialists are responsible for leading and providing direct care to a cohort of students to promote their behavioral, social-emotional, and spiritual development. Behavior Specialists implement individualized behavior intervention strategies, provide behavioral coaching and support, monitor student progress, and collaborate with families, schools, and BTH staff to help students achieve Target Behavior. This position requires a compassionate, highly relational leader who is committed to youth development, behavior support, discipleship, and student success. This position reports to the Director of SEL.

Role Responsibilities

• Performs in a way that is consistent with the vision, mission and culture of By The Hand and commits to excellence in every aspect of the overall operation.

• Models the cultural values of By The Hand Club For Kids in day-to-day behavior.

• Follows all policies as outlined in the operational guide, including maintaining brand standards and ensuring 100% adherence to the Child Protection Policy.

• Follows the Student Behavior Policy and classroom management training to help students stay on task. 

• Builds positive relationships with both parents/guardians and teachers to ensure the best overall care for each child.

• Seeks independent learning opportunities to continue to grow in his/her skills.

• Provides strong mentorship (one-on-one or in small groups).

• Implements individualized behavior support plans and intervention strategies under the direction of the Director of SEL.

• Provides one-on-one and small-group behavioral coaching for students with social, emotional, and behavioral needs.

• Utilizes evidence-based behavior management strategies, including positive reinforcement, prompting, modeling, de-escalation, and skill acquisition techniques to improve student engagement and self-regulation.

• Collects, analyzes, and maintains accurate behavioral documentation, progress monitoring, and incident reports while ensuring timely submission of required documentation.

• Collaborates with Site Leadership, Team Leaders, families, schools, and the Director of SEL to ensure consistent implementation of behavior support strategies across school, Club, and home environments.

• Reinforces communication, social, emotional regulation, adaptive behavior, executive functioning, and replacement skills through daily programming.

• Participates in ongoing supervision, coaching, and professional development related to behavior intervention, trauma-informed care, restorative practices, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

• Maintains a safe, structured, and engaging environment while responding appropriately to behavioral crises using approved de-escalation techniques.

• Performs all other duties as required and assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Passion and commitment for urban student transformation, confidence to lead in a challenging situation, and belief that all children can learn.

• Outstanding problem-solving skills with an orientation toward results, action, impact, and influence.

• Ability to work both as a team player and independently.

• Proven ability to work under tight deadlines and multi-task well.

• Outstanding time management and communication skills.

• Demonstrated strong relationship-building skills with children and adults.

• Strong knowledge of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles.

• Ability to implement individualized behavior intervention plans with consistency and professionalism.

• Strong observation, documentation, and behavioral data collection skills, including quality note-taking.

• Ability to de-escalate challenging behaviors while maintaining positive relationships with students.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills when working with families, schools, and multidisciplinary teams.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, Special Education, Human Services, Ministry, or a related field.

• 2+ years working with youth in educational, behavioral health, youth development, or social service settings.

• Experience implementing behavior intervention plans preferred.

• Current Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification preferred, or willingness to obtain certification within an established timeframe.

• Experience using Google Workspace and electronic documentation systems.

Metrics

• Behavior support plans are implemented with fidelity for assigned students at least 95% of the time, as verified through observations and documentation audits. 

• 95% of behavioral documentation and progress monitoring reports are completed accurately and submitted on time. 

• Assigned students demonstrate a 25% reduction in behavioral incidents and at least 80% show measurable growth in targeted social-emotional competencies over the program year. 

• 90% of required family, school, and multidisciplinary team communications and meetings are completed within established timelines, with positive collaboration documented. 

• 100% of required SEL and behavior intervention training is completed by established deadlines, with evidence of implementation reflected in performance observations.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, photocopies, and filing cabinets. This job is not virtual, but it requires in-person attendance as agreed upon by your immediate supervisor.

Physical Demands

The contractor is regularly required to speak and listen. The contractor must have the ability to stand, walk, climb stairs, and move around the classroom and site, along with tasks like lifting, bending, and repetitive motions like keyboarding for prolonged time. This role may require you to move equipment from room to room and lift up to 50 pounds. The contractor must be able to actively engage with students throughout the day, including participating in floor activities, transitioning quickly between locations, implementing approved behavior support and crisis intervention techniques, and safely assisting students when necessary. The contractor must be able to lift up to 50 pounds and maintain active supervision during indoor, outdoor, transportation, and community-based activities.

Disclaimer

The duties and responsibilities described are not an exhaustive list of all functions that the contractor may be required to perform. The contractor may be required to perform additional functions as necessitated by business demands. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.