Head of Player Development

Comunidad Lift; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great leave benefits

Broncos Memberships

Development programs

Bronxfit wellbeing program

Job summary

The Brisbane Broncos are seeking a Head of Player Development to lead a holistic program across NRL, NRLW and Pathways, supporting players to thrive on and off the field.

Reporting to the General Manager – NRL Football, you will lead the Player Development team, drive strategy for wellbeing, education, career development and life beyond football, and coordinate external specialists to support players.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary or professional qualifications in psychology, social work, counselling, education, youth work, athlete development, sport management or a related discipline.
• Clinical qualifications or professional registration will be highly regarded.
• Demonstrated experience leading a multidisciplinary team in player development or wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Player Development team with clear direction and service standards.
• Develop and implement a holistic Player Development strategy aligned with club goals.
• Oversee delivery of wellbeing, education, career development and life skills support.
• Build trusted relationships with players and provide guidance on welfare, conduct and integrity matters.
• Collaborate with Head Coaches and medical/performance teams to support wellbeing and leadership development.
• Coordinate access to external specialists for mental health, education and career advice.
• Establish safeguarding, induction, confidentiality and referral pathways.
• Support players transitioning within and beyond professional football.
• Manage planning, resources, reporting and continuous improvement of services across programs.

Skills

Leadership

Wellbeing

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Communication

Education

Tertiary or professional qualifications in psychology/social work/education/sport management

Job description

Working at the Brisbane Broncos

Whether it’s giving your all at Suncorp Stadium, or going above and beyond in schools, we don’t just play for a club, we play for a community, and a proud one at that. One that every single one of us wears on our sleeves, every single day. We’re much more than a world-class sporting organisation and the biggest sports brand in Australia, we’re a team.

Pride, performance, people and joy are at the heart of everything we do and that’s why things are done differently here, it’s how we inspire and excite. Whatever field of work we’re in, we always leave it all out there.

The Brisbane Broncos are seeking a Head of Player Development to lead the delivery of a holistic Player Development program across our NRL, NRLW and Pathways teams, supporting players to thrive both on and off the field.

How you can play a part

Reporting to the General Manager – NRL Football, this is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for leading the Player Development department, with direct responsibility for the NRL program and oversight of Player Development services across NRLW and Pathways. The role will drive a consistent, player‑centred approach to wellbeing, personal growth, education, career development and life beyond football.

This will include:

• Lead, coach and develop the Player Development team, establishing clear direction, accountabilities and service standards across all programs.
• Develop and implement a holistic Player Development strategy aligned with the Club’s Football objectives, values and commitment to being a Development Club.
• Oversee the delivery of practical player support across mental wellbeing, education, career development, life skills, accommodation, family support and personal transitions.
• Build trusted relationships with players, providing guidance on sensitive welfare, conduct and integrity matters and ensuring appropriate support and escalation through Club and NRL processes.
• Work closely with Head Coaches, Football leadership, Medical and Performance teams to support player wellbeing, personal accountability, character and leadership development.
• Coordinate access to qualified external specialists, including mental health professionals, education providers and career advisers, ensuring appropriate referrals and follow‑up.
• Establish consistent approaches to player induction, safeguarding, confidentiality, referral pathways and the management of sensitive player information.
• Support players transitioning into, through and beyond professional football, including contributing to the development of the Brisbane Broncos Alumni Program.
• Manage departmental planning, resources, reporting and continuous improvement to ensure accessible and effective Player Development services across all programs.

To be considered

To be considered for this opportunity you will have:

• Relevant tertiary or professional qualifications in psychology, social work, counselling, education, youth work, athlete development, sport management or a related discipline. Clinical qualifications or professional registration will be highly regarded.
• Significant experience in Player Development, athlete wellbeing or a related professional sporting environment, ideally within professional rugby league or another elite team sport.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing a Player Development, wellbeing or multidisciplinary team, with the ability to establish clear expectations, build capability and drive performance.
• Proven experience designing and delivering holistic athlete development programs that respond to players’ individual needs, backgrounds and career stages.
• Strong knowledge of athlete wellbeing, mental health referral pathways, safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries, together with an understanding of NRL wellbeing and integrity frameworks or the ability to develop this knowledge quickly.
• Experience navigating complex player welfare and personal circumstances, applying sound judgement, discretion and appropriate escalation practices.
• Highly developed communication and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to build trusted relationships with players, coaches, senior Football leaders and external professionals.
• Strong strategic planning, organisational and operational management skills, combined with personal integrity, empathy, resilience and the confidence to reinforce standards and address challenging situations.

This is a full‑time position requiring flexibility to meet the needs of the NRL, NRLW and Pathways programs. The role may involve early mornings, evenings, weekends, game‑day commitments, training sessions, camps and travel.

Note: All applicants must hold a current Australian working rights, a current Driver’s License, Blue Card and/or WWCC to be considered. Please clearly articulate this in your applications.

Benefits

At the Broncos, we’re committed to creating a workplace where our people feel supported, valued and connected to both one another and the impact we make on and off the field. Some of our many employee benefits include:

• Great leave benefits, including generous paid parental leave, various bonus leave entitlements and early access to long service leave
• Access to a range of Club, sponsor and partner benefits including two Broncos Memberships per season
• Annual performance planning with tailored support for development including on the job training, conferences, workshops, development programs, formal study & volunteering opportunities
• Access to our extensive and holistic employee wellbeing program, Bronxfit

Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to work in a values‑led, high-performance environment within Australia’s most iconic sporting brand.

A full role profile can be found via broncos.com.au/careers.

The Brisbane Broncos will never ask you for personal identifying information during the application process. This includes your bank or credit card details, driver’s licence, passport information, marital status or Tax file number. This information should only be provided once you have accepted a genuine job offer. Any advertisement from the Brisbane Broncos that asks for personal information should be considered fraudulent.