Lilac Learning Center logo
Lilac Learning Center
Tacoma, Washington

BCBA - Most BCBA jobs come with a billable hours target. This one doesn't.

BCBAFull-Time

Listed compensation

$95k-$115k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 53m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Lilac Learning Center is a non-public special education school serving autistic students ages 5 to 22 across three Washington campuses. Our funding comes through school district contracts, not insurance. That one structural difference changes your entire workday: no authorizations, no payer documentation, no productivity dashboard deciding whether you keep your job. Your clinical decisions are driven by student need and IEP goals. Full stop.

If you became a BCBA to do the work and the work keeps getting buried under billing, keep reading.

What You'd Actually Do

You'll own the behavioral programming for a small, assigned roster of students at one campus, reporting to the Corporate Chief of Staff. Day to day, that looks like:

Building each student's behavior plan and curricular trajectory, and selecting the measures that actually fit the goal

  • Training and delegating to Lead Techs and Behavior Technicians, and developing them professionally
  • Partnering directly with the Special Education Teacher on IEP goals and documentation
  • Collecting data you'll actually use, and assessing progress against it
  • Keeping parents genuinely informed, not just compliant-informed

Because we're a school and not a clinic, your caseload is measured in single digits, not dozens. You will know your students.

The Honest Part

Our students include kids and young adults with severe behavior. Physical management is part of this job. That means trained escorts, holds, and restraints when safety requires it, with real training, real staffing ratios, and a team that shows up when you call. You'll need to be physically able to respond, including lifting 50 pounds and moving quickly when it counts.

If you've done severe behavior work and you're tired of doing it under-resourced, this is the setting you've been asking for. If you're looking to move away from physical intervention entirely, this isn't your role, and we'd rather you know that now than at orientation.

What it pays

BCBA / Licensed Behavior Analyst: $95,000 to $115,000 depending on experience

Lilac's compensation philosophy is simple: we benchmark against the top of the market and then pay above it. This is a salaried, FLSA-exempt position.

Benefits include employer-paid medical premiums, dental and vision, a 401(k) with employer match, paid company closures, paid time off and paid holidays, and an annual continuing education budget that covers your BACB recertification cycle with room to spare.

What You'll Need

BCBA or BCaBA Certification

Current WA Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) or Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (LABA), or current eligibility for licensure. If you hold a BCBA or BCBA-D anywhere in the country, you already qualify for a Washington LBA. Out-of-state candidates: yes, that means you.

  • 2+ years as a BCBA or BCaBA preferred, with experience serving children
  • Supervisory experience and a real history with severe behavior
  • Valid driver's license, clean driving record, verified auto insurance
  • Employment is contingent on completion of a background check, as required by Washington law for positions with unsupervised access to children.

Why Lilac

Three campuses. Small student rosters. An interdisciplinary team where the special ed teacher, the techs, and the BCBA are actually in the same building solving the same problems. And a leadership team that built its pay model by asking what the best employer in the market would offer, then offering more.

Key Responsibilities

You will own the behavioral programming for a roster of students, including developing behavior plans and curricular trajectories. You will also train and supervise behavior technicians while partnering with special education teachers on IEP goals.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a BCBA or BCaBA certification and be licensed or eligible for licensure in Washington. At least two years of experience in behavior analysis with children and a history of managing severe behaviors are preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

SupervisionIEP developmentData collectionStaff trainingClinical decision makingParent communicationCurriculum development

Applied Behavior Analysis Career Context

In Washington, the Applied Behavior Analysis weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$105k (18 salary observations; 34 listings), vs ~$92k nationally (1,765 salary observations; 5,886 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-02-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 40 active Applied Behavior Analysis listings this role was benchmarked against, 68% are remote, 45% have no call, 80% require no weekends.

Applied Behavior Analysis by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Washington vs national$105k median in Washington$92k nationally (+14%)18 state / 1,765 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$98k in purchasing powerWashington index 107.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Applied Behavior Analysis listings in Washington20 active2,389 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 68% remote · 45% no call · 80% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS healthcare professional listings: 43% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 16% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Applied Behavior Analysis listings1,181 in the last 30 days588 the 30 days before (+101%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Applied Behavior Analysis pay trend+2.2% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

Washington has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$105k midpoint, that is roughly $4k–$7k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Behavior Analyst Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

34 jobs · 22 employers
6
<$100k
6
$100k-110k
9
$110k-120k
8
$120k-130k
5
$130k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

34 jobs · 22 employers
401k / retirement match
85% this job
CME allowance
76% this job
Sign-on bonus
68%
Loan repayment
41%
Relocation assistance
38%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

BCBA

Northeast Family Services · New Hampshire

$60-$75/hr
#2

Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)

OOS Management · Georgia

Starting at $75/hour
#3

Behavior Specialist (BCBA)

$60-$65/hr
#4

Clinical Director - BCBA

$110k-$130k
+ 33 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Applied Behavior Analysis listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 2,395 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Lilac Learning Center logo

About Lilac Learning Center

Education
Spokane, Washington
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

Employer-paid medical premiums
Dental and vision
401(k) with employer match
Paid company closures
Paid time off
Paid holidays
Annual continuing education budget covering BACB recertification
No billable hours target

Living in Tacoma

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$483k≈ 5.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,773/mo≈ 22% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
29 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.1
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.