Practice Leader - Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk

Slr Consulting; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid work

Novated leasing

Parental leave

Job summary

SLR Consulting in Melbourne seeks a Practice Leader to guide our Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk team across Asia Pacific. You will mentor experts, grow the practice, and shape regional delivery on high-demand environmental projects.

You’ll lead strategy, client development, and technical excellence while partnering with the Earth Sciences unit to expand services and relationships across offices. The role offers significant leadership impact and global collaboration.

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years in environmental consultancy or a related field.
• Tertiary qualifications in Environmental Science or Engineering; postgraduate credentials are valued.
• Experience leading multi-geography projects and teams.
• Track record in developing and delivering practice-level business plans.
• Strong business development, client management, and bid execution skills.
• Willingness to travel interstate and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk Practice across APAC.
• Drive financial KPIs, manage resourcing, and expand client relationships.
• Promote technical excellence and foster cross-practice collaboration regionally and globally.
• Ensure a healthy project portfolio with strong risk management.
• Mentor and develop leaders; influence regional strategy.

Skills

Leadership

Business development

Client management

Strategic planning

People management

Communication

Travel

Education

Environmental Science

Engineering

Postgraduate qualifications

Job description

Practice Leader – Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk

About SLR & The Role

What if your next leadership role could combine world-class science, exceptional people, and genuine regional influence? As Practice Leader for Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk, you'll lead and inspire experts across Asia Pacific.

This team now includes our existing Toxicology & Risk, Geochemistry and the Soils & Erosion Practices with the recent addition of our Geomorphology Practice. With the recent acquisition of Hydrobiology also adding further strengths across this group. This has seen the Practice now reach 40+ consultants which you will be tasked with managing and growing this team further across Asia Pacific. As a newly formed grouping of some of the best in the business this provides a unique and exciting opportunity for the right person to scale up and shape the business, delivering into this high demand sector.

From mentoring future leaders to steering some of the region's most challenging environmental projects, you'll have the platform, resources and reach to make a significant impact, while accelerating your own career in a highly visible and strategic position.

SLR Consulting is an international environmental consultancy with a globally recognised reputation for providing high-quality tailored services. With offices throughout the Asia Pacific, Europe, North, Central and South America and Africa regions, we are one of a very small number of leading international specialist environmental consultants.

With 24 offices in the Asia Pacific region and 1200 + staff, SLR is on an exciting growth trajectory. We are flexible on location for the right person to deliver in this key role across the offices where our teams are already established and delivering exceptional work.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Business Unit Director – Earth Sciences, The Practice Leader is responsible for leading people, achieving financial KPIs, growing client relationships and market share, driving technical excellence, and achieving business growth within their Practice Area, and across the wider business. Other responsibilities will include:

• Leading the Practice Area with authenticity, purpose and vigour
• Driving growth in line with market trends and opportunities, and actively manages resourcing requirements to facilitate growth
• Consistently achieving KPIs across the spectrum of financial metrics, responding to stretch targets as necessary
• Managing SLR’s commercial risk through rigorous and informed review of project work and proposals, ensuring adequate backlog and maintaining standards of excellence
• Using your proven leadership skills to maintain and grow a high performing practice
• Leading by example by working effectively across the Company, fostering collaboration across practices, promoting knowledge sharing regionally and globally
• Ensuring the portfolio of projects with the Practice Area is healthy, with a net positive position, and that high risks are appropriately managed
• Maintaining a client focus always. Engaging frequently with clients in collaboration with other business leaders to drive brand awareness, business development, and market share advancement both regionally and globally.
• Keeping up to date with specialist area trends and best practice, participating in technical and/or professional associations
• Living and breathing the SLR way through the promotion and use of consistent globally aligned systems, practices and processes

Experience

Our ideal candidate will have 12-15+ years’ experience, including experience within a consultancy group, as well as:

• Tertiary qualifications in Environmental Science/Engineering or similar with relevant experience in one or more of soils, erosion, geochemistry, risk assessment, toxicology/eco-toxicology or geomorphology. Post Grad qualifications will be held in high regard.
• Experience managing both projects, and teams of consultants across different geographies
• Proven experience in operations leadership within a technical consulting or professional services environment
• Experience in developing practice-level business plans and achieving intended outcomes, particularly for developing teams in start-up or scale up phases.
• Proven people management experience across a wide area to engage, develop and retain their team
• Demonstrated experience in consistently achieving performance metrics and growing teams, revenue and margins
• Excellent business development, client management and multi-disciplinary bid execution skills
• Outstanding ability to understand client needs and oversee teams to meet those needs
• Effective communication capabilities, particularly around conveying vision, strategic intent and ability to invigorate people to bring them on the journey
• Competence in analytical assessments and reporting
• The ability to travel interstate and international to engage with the team personally.

Our Benefits

We are most proud of our expert teams and unique culture and our where we work together to collaborate on projects to get the best possible outcome for our clients.

Whether you’re enjoying our flexible hybrid work environment, taking advantage of our novated leasing offers, or at a time in your life where a supportive and generous parental leave scheme is key, our benefits aim to ensure that we cater for all.

You can find a comprehensive list here.