Humanitarian Response Lead

Job Description

Location: Brisbane 
Full-time
2-year fixed term contract
Must have valid work rights in Australia

• Play a senior leadership role in Australia’s humanitarian logistics capability program, supporting rapid and coordinated emergency responses across the Indo-Pacific. 
• Supervise the deployment and support of logistics and technical staff in support of humanitarian responses. 

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:

Based in Brisbane, the Humanitarian Logistics Capability (HLC), plays a vital role in Australia’s rapid and coordinated humanitarian response across the Indo-Pacific. As the Humanitarian Response Lead, you will lead a team supporting the HLC program through logistics planning, coordination, providing logistics advice, managing service orders and overseeing response activities.  

Your role will involve providing essential logistics advice and planning for DFAT, agencies and partners. You will support your team, actively participating and engaging in response planning meetings and activities, rapidly developing cost action plans for comparison, identifying risks, opportunities and presenting different trade-offs for decision makers. You will lead the logistics operations concept development, refining it into a comprehensive, effective plan.  

This role offers a fantastic opportunity for those seeking to lead a high-performing team to contribute to the effective delivery of emergency supplies to communities in need. 

The Program: Humanitarian Logistics Capability (HLC)

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Humanitarian Logistics Capability (HLC) facilitates the timely, effective, and flexible delivery of the Australian Government’s humanitarian assistance and emergency relief program around the world, providing high quality, multifaceted, flexible and responsive project management and humanitarian supply chain solutions in support of Australia’s Humanitarian Emergency Relief activities. 

The goal of HLC is to facilitate humanitarian action that saves lives, alleviates suffering, and enhances human dignity during and in the aftermath of conflict, disasters, and other humanitarian crises. The HLC warehouse in Brisbane maintains the largest stockpile of prepositioned humanitarian emergency relief supplies within the Southern Hemisphere, with the capacity to respond to three simultaneous crises and can support at least 11,000 families – or 50,000 people. 

Tetra Tech International Development, as the Implementing Contractor for the HLC, will work closely with DFAT, other Commonwealth response capabilities, international organisations and humanitarian partners to implement HLC operations and activities across all aspects of program management and delivery. 

Your Role:

• Lead a team of staff and support HLC logistics planning and coordination activities including the provision of logistics advice and managing services orders and response activities.  
• Provide logistics advice and planning for DFAT, agencies and partners, and participate and engage in response planning meetings and activities.  
• Rapidly develop costed courses of action for comparison, identifying risks, opportunities and other trade-offs for decision makers.  
• Establish and maintain operational-level coordination with operational partners and adjacent response organisations, ensuring HLC response activities are timely, appropriate, complementary and effectively communicated. 
• Lead the rostering and engagement of deployable staff - including logistics and response specialists - while overseeing their deployment and ensuring appropriate support throughout the process.  

About You:

As a seasoned logistics professional with deep expertise in the Indo-Pacific humanitarian and disaster response ecosystem, you bring strategic thinking and operational excellence to complex, resource-constrained environments. Your leadership ensures the effective management of operations and logistics in challenging contexts, enabling timely and impactful responses. 

As a facilitative leader, you cultivate a culture of learning, development, and open knowledge sharing within your team. Your inclusive management style builds trust and confidence, driving high performance and empowering team members to excel. You demonstrate exceptional organizational agility and the ability to navigate complex issues with innovative thinking, personal initiative, and resilience under pressure.  

You will possess:

• Extensive senior-level experience in managing operations and logistics within development, humanitarian, or similarly challenging contexts, including remote and resource-limited environments. 
• Proven capability in team leadership, fostering high-performance cultures and supportive, collaborative environments. 
• Strong political and cultural competence, with the ability to operate effectively across diverse country contexts and engage with a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Outstanding communication skills, delivering clear, contextually appropriate messaging to varied audiences, including government policymakers. 

Have questions or want to know more about the role, please contact Katie Wilde at idev.hrservices@tetratech.com

How to Apply

Apply via the Tetra Tech Careers website: Humanitarian Response Lead - Tetra Tech International Development Careers

Your completed application will include: 

• Resume 
• Cover letter (not exceeding two pages), outlining your suitability for the position by demonstrating how your qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills, and personal attributes align with the selection criteria. 

Applications for this position close midnight, AEST Friday 14 November 2025

About the Organization

Why Tetra Tech International Development?

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. We encourage people with 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 IDEV.HRServices@tetratech.com  or phone (08) 8375 4400.