Brigadier Wayne Budd entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in January 1979 undertaking studies in Civil Engineering. Graduating with Honours, he was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Australian Engineers.

As a young officer, early experience included postings as a Troop Commander and Construction Officer at 17th Construction Squadron, and as an Operations Officer at 18th Field Squadron in the Operational Deployment Force. In addition to these Regimental appointments he was seconded to the John Holland Construction Company in 1987 for engineering experience and was employed on the Sydney Ocean Outfall Project.

Brigadier Budd commanded 21st Construction Squadron and the School of Military Engineering. He is a graduate of both the Army Command and Staff College, Defence's Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies and Deakin University's Masters of Arts Program.

Brigadier Budd's staff appointments include serving as the Operations and Intelligence Staff Officer at the Directorate of Engineers – Army; Grade One Staff appointments in both Plans and Co-ordination at Headquarters Training Command – Army and as the Military Assistant to the Land Commander – Australia; and senior appointments as Colonel Operations at Headquarters Training Command – Army and Chief Joint Plans (J5) at Headquarters Joint Operations Command.

Brigadier Budd's coalition experiences include service in an exchange position with the United States Army's 25th Infantry Division where he was employed as an Assistant Operations Officer in the Division's 65th Engineer Battalion and as an engineer staff officer in the Divisional Headquarters Operations Cell. He has participated in a Team Spirit exercise in Korea and the United States Army Battle Command Training Program. Additionally, Brigadier Budd served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Coalition Joint Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003.

Brigadier Budd took up his current appointment as Director General Headquarters Joint Operations Command Project on 19 January 2007.

Brigadier Budd has one son aged eleven. His partner's name is Linda.