Voss was born in Traralgon, Victoria and lived as a child in Orbost until the age of 11, when he moved with his family to Beenleigh,[3] a northern suburb of the Gold Coast at the time.

[7] A year later, he kicked 14 goals for Queensland in a second-division under-17 representative match, going on to win the inaugural Hunter Harrison Medal for the tournament.

At 17 years and 11 days of age in 1992,[8] he debuted for the Brisbane Bears against Fitzroy at Princes Park in Melbourne in Round 18, 1992, the youngest-ever player to play a senior game for the club.

By 1996, he was one of the most accomplished players in the competition, and at the end of the season he shared the Brownlow Medal, the game's highest individual honour, with James Hird.

[15][16][17] In 1998, Voss suffered a catastrophic injury while contesting a mark at Subiaco Oval in Perth in a match against Fremantle.

This injury, along with the destabilisation caused by the merger of Fitzroy and the Bears, was a key factor in the Brisbane Lions finishing 16th (last) with a record of 5 wins, 16 losses, and 1 draw.

His performance in the 2002 Grand Final against Collingwood was an outstanding example of courage, skill and leadership, only narrowly conceding the Norm Smith Medal to opposing captain and former Bears teammate Nathan Buckley.

[21][22][23][24] In early 2004, Voss kicked a career-best seven goals against a struggling Adelaide at AAMI Stadium as coach Leigh Matthews looked to play him in the forward line during the latter part of his career.

[26] He recovered to play his 250th game the following week,[27] but the Lions suffered an embarrassing six-point loss to eventual premiers Sydney after they had led by 32 points at the final change.

Soon after the completion of the 2006 season, Voss announced his retirement from his playing career after 289 games and 15 years at the Brisbane Bears and Lions with three premierships and a Brownlow Medal to his name.

Despite losing badly, the Lions received a long-standing ovation from a sold-out home crowd after the game for their prior premiership efforts as well as general farewell to several other players.

[36] When Leigh Matthews, senior coach of the Brisbane Lions, resigned at the end of their 2008 season, Eagles' chief executive Trevor Nisbett gave Voss permission to talk with his former club.

[54][55] One measure of his success at Port is the number of their midfielders selected for the All-Australian team Robbie Gray (2014, 2017, 2018) Chad Wingard (2015), Travis Boak (2020), Charlie Dixon (2020), and 2021 Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (2021).

[69] Carlton under Voss in his first year as senior coach, finished ninth with twelve wins and ten losses, just missing out of the finals, at the end of the 2022 season.

[2] During the 2024 pre-finals bye, Voss witnessed a stolen car crash and flip outside Barton Café in Hawthorn, Victoria.

[76] In 2007, Voss was charged for his role in a melee with Simon Black, Fraser Gehrig and three other high-profile AFL players at a Melbourne nightclub.