Practice Lead Human Development

Tetra Tech; Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Tetra Tech International Development is hiring a Practice Lead Human Development to guide a high-impact international development practice. The role reports to the Markets and Clients team and is based in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, or Melbourne with a hybrid working model.

The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership, build client relationships, and drive business growth while ensuring delivery excellence and governance across donor-funded programs.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in international development, with postgraduate qualification.
• Proven track record in business development, marketing and contracting.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
• Experience delivering donor-funded international programs.
• Solid commercial acumen across budgeting, risk and compliance.
• Inspiring leader able to foster high-performing, diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety, people, client growth, performance, and delivery across the Human Development practice.
• Drive a strong safety culture, manage risks, and support incident reporting and corrective action close out.
• Build and support a high performing, inclusive team, with strong resourcing and capability development.
• Strengthen client relationships, support business development, and identify growth opportunities.
• Contribute to annual business planning and cross-practice collaboration.
• Monitor practice performance, risks, quality, and financial outcomes, and provide timely reporting to senior leadership.
• Oversee program and project delivery from start up to close out, ensuring technical support and delivery standards are maintained.
• Promote knowledge sharing, innovation, and best practice across the practice.

Skills

Business development

Marketing

Financial oversight

Contract management

Leadership

Education

Postgraduate qualification

Job description

Practice Lead Human Development | Permanent Full time | Hybrid

Location: Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne

Contribute to a world where people, communities and the planet thrive.

Tetra Tech International Development is a leading development consulting firm working with government, businesses, and NGOs to solve complex development challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. For more information please visit our website

The Opportunity

• Lead a high-impact Human Development practice within Tetra Tech's Markets and Clients team.
• Shape and deliver the Human Development business plan.
• Full time ongoing hybrid role, based in either Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne

The Role

As a senior leader within the Markets and Clients team, the Practice Lead Human Development provides technical and operational leadership to grow the practice, strengthen client relationships, and drive high performing teams and strong commercial results. The role develops and delivers the Human Development business plan in line with Tetra Tech's broader strategic and location-specific objectives, while identifying growth opportunities, managing financial performance, and ensuring exceptional client service. As part of the leadership team, the Practice Lead also helps build a collaborative, one-team culture that supports a positive workplace and sustained business success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead safety, people, client growth, performance, and delivery across the Human Development practice.
• Drive a strong safety culture, manage risks, and support incident reporting and corrective action close out.
• Build and support a high performing, inclusive team, with strong resourcing and capability development.
• Strengthen client relationships, support business development, and identify growth opportunities.
• Contribute to annual business planning and cross-practice collaboration.
• Monitor practice performance, risks, quality, and financial outcomes, and provide timely reporting to senior leadership.
• Oversee program and project delivery from start up to close out, ensuring technical support and delivery standards are maintained.
• Promote knowledge sharing, innovation, and best practice across the practice.

About You

• Senior leadership experience in International Development, Education, Business Management or a related field, with 10+ years' experience and a postgraduate qualification or equivalent expertise.
• Strong track record in business development, marketing, financial oversight, and contract management, with sound commercial judgement.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including negotiation, conflict resolution, and trusted partnership development.
• Experience delivering international development programs with donors, partner nations, and global organisations.
• Highly desirable, strong knowledge of DFAT, Australian Government departments, and Indo Pacific stakeholders, or the ability to quickly build this understanding.
• Strong commercial acumen across budgeting, risk, compliance, and tender management.
• Inspiring people leader with the ability to develop capability, drive performance, and foster a positive, high-performing team culture.
• Collaborative, strategic, and solutions-focused, with a genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive development.
• Statement of suitability (not exceeding three pages), demonstrating how your qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills, and personal attributes align with the selection criteria.

Why Tetra Tech International Development?

We are a values led organisation committed to flexible working, wellbeing, and creating positive impact. Our culture is grounded in collaboration, trust, diversity, and inclusion. Learn more about our purpose and values here.

Tetra Tech International Development is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of all cultures, genders, abilities, and experiences. We are committed to child safety, safeguarding, and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

As a leading development consulting firm, Tetra Tech International Development works with people and communities to solve some of the world's most complex challenges to achieve a positive impact.

Working at Tetra Tech International Development means working within a values led organisation that invests in flexible work environments built on trust, safety and well-being. Through unified systems, flexible and supportive workplaces, we provide the foundations required for our team to enjoy the work they do and deliver value every day. Read more about our culture, purpose and values here.

Tetra Tech International Development is an equal opportunity employer and has a genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion, child safety, safeguarding, and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. We encourage people living with a disability; First Nations Peoples; and people of all cultures, genders, abilities, and experiences to apply.

Should you require additional support with your application, please email [e-mail] or phone [phone].

Tetra Tech has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), child abuse and exploitation, modern slavery and safeguarding related retaliation, and this zero-tolerance extends to inaction. Tetra Tech is committed to being a child safe organisation, and to promoting a culture that supports gender equality, and addresses the gendered drivers of violence against women and children. It is committed to fostering a culture where we prevent and respond decisively and appropriately to harm against people, and that all people are treated with dignity and respect, irrespective of country, project, or office where we work. This will require compliance with Tetra Tech's Safeguarding and other Codes of Conduct and our associated safeguarding policies (Child Protection and Child Safety, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policy and procedure, and Modern Slavery. Any successful applicants will be required to undertake satisfactory referee and criminal record checks prior to being appointed to any position.

Position Type

Headquarter position

Region

Australia and Indo-Pacific Teams and Clients

Sector

Business Development (International Development)