Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting an IT & Digital Graduate Intern
This is a 12 month fixed term Graduate Internship after a successful 3 month probation period.

 The starting salary for this role is £26,350.00 – £27,940.00 per annum (dependent on experience)

 Benefits while working for Westcountry Rivers Trust

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
 25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays, with a reward for long service - an additional 1 day per year for each year worked over 5 years, up to a maximum of 30 days for employees serving 10 years continuous service
Additional leave covering the Christmas Closure period
WRT contributes 9% of salary to a personal pension scheme (following a three-month postponement period), plus Life Assurance cover
Cycle to Work Scheme
Hybrid & Flexible Working

 Apply by midnight on Sunday 13th September by CV and Covering Letter to: https://hr.breathehr.com/v/it-digital-graduate-intern-48169

For queries about this role or the application process please contact recruitment@wrt.org.uk

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers.  Measures to protect rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism, reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health.  

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities, businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of climate emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment resilience. 

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s, a group of individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust we know today.

Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them.

It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders, and which lies behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi-annual projects spread across a wide range of funders. 

The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services team.  Our employees work on delivery sites, from home, and from the office.

The IT & Digital Graduate Intern will play a key operational role within the Resources team, working closely with the Head of Resources to deliver WRT's digital agenda. This is a broad, practical role that sits at the intersection of IT coordination, web management, cyber security housekeeping, and digital operations - the operational layer that connects our managed IT provider (AME Solutions) with the day-to-day digital needs of the organisation. 

 

This role exists because WRT's digital footprint is growing. We have made significant strategic investment in cyber security, M365, and our SharePoint infrastructure. We have an ambitious Fundraising, Communications and Engagement plan that brings new digital dependencies - a new website, Beacon CRM, and expanded communications capability. And we are beginning to explore automation and AI tools to improve how we work. We need someone who can help us make the most of what we have, keep the digital operation running securely and efficiently, and support staff to use our tools well. 

 

This role also begins to build something WRT currently lacks in-house digital capability that can grow over time. Not all tasks will be equally active from day one, and we expect this role to develop alongside the organisation. In practice, the post-holder will begin by working closely with the Head of Resources and our external partners and will take on more independent responsibility for each area as their knowledge of WRT and our systems grows. We are committed to supporting that journey through structured mentoring, external links with Digital Candle and the wider Rivers Trust network, and a genuine investment in the post-holder's professional development. 

 

We are realistic about the breadth of skills we are asking for. If you do not meet every criterion, we still encourage you to apply - what matters most is the right aptitude, a collaborative approach, and a genuine interest in digital tools and what they can do for an organisation like ours. 

 

·        Day-to-day custodianship of WRT's website and domain estate - maintaining a clear picture of which sites, domains and DNS records sit with which supplier, keeping credentials and documentation current, and coordinating content updates.  

·        First response when something goes wrong - establishing whether a site is up, carrying out initial triage, escalating promptly to the hosting provider or web supplier, chasing resolution, and recording the cause so that WRT builds a picture over time.  

·        Applying content management system, plugin and non-Microsoft software updates for those parts of the estate WRT retains responsibility for, working with our web supplier on anything beyond the routine.  

·        Oversight of third-party file sharing platforms.  

·        Working alongside the Head of Resources as an internal point of contact for the website procurement and build, ensuring WRT's requirements are clearly communicated and delivered, and growing into the lead day-to-day contact once the new site is live. The technical split between WRT and the appointed supplier will be settled through the tender, so this part of the role will be shaped with the post-holder rather than fixed in advance. 

 

·        First point of contact for routine IT queries, triaging issues before escalating to AME Solutions.  

·        Maintaining WRT's IT asset register, coordinating device repairs and replacements (with AME or a local supplier), managing hardware decommissioning in line with WRT's Environmental Policy, and liaising with the Finance team to keep Itemit records current. 

 

·        Working with the Head of Resources on the practical compliance layer that sits between AME's infrastructure support and WRT's strategic oversight, and progressively taking day-to-day responsibility for it: patch management for non-Microsoft software, privileged account auditing, software rationalisation, backup oversight including the NAS rotation procedure and liaison with AME on backup monitoring, BYOD and password policy implementation, and coordination of WRT's cyber security training programme.  

·        Contributing to progress toward and maintenance of Cyber Essentials accreditation, with training and support provided. 

·        Routine M365 administration (user accounts, licences, permissions, shared mailboxes). 

·        Helping maintain momentum on the SharePoint redesign and supporting colleagues to use the platform effectively.  

·        Supporting the DPO in keeping the Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) and IT and information security policy current.  

·        Maintaining WRT's tech stack audit and SaaS register - keeping the picture of digital tools and platforms in use across the Trust current, carrying out periodic refreshes, and flagging duplication, unused licences and upcoming renewal dates. Licensing decisions and potential savings are identified with, and agreed by, the Head of Resources and Finance as budget holders, in support of the Systems and Processes aims of WRT's Digital Strategy. 

·        Improving the register itself over time - for example automating advance notice of contract and licence expiry - as an early practical development opportunity in the role. 

·        Developing a technically informed internal eye on WRT's supplier relationships (AME Solutions, Digital Candle, Unlimited Web Hosting, 12 Oaks).  

·        Keeping contract records and Data Processing Agreement (DPA) status up to date. 

·        Working with the Operations Director on the Fish Pass App relationship as a client-side technical translator - interpreting developer communications, asking the right questions, and flagging risks to the Operations Director and Head of Resources. This is an area we expect the post-holder to grow into over the course of the year. 

·        Identifying and building simple workflow automations (Power Automate or equivalent) based on business need.  

·        Maintaining WRT's AI tools register, supporting development of staff guidance on responsible AI use, and monitoring emerging digital tools and sector practice. 

 

 

We recognise that no single candidate will tick every box. We are more interested in the right attitude, a genuine aptitude for digital work, and a willingness to learn than in a perfect match to every criterion. If you are excited by this role but unsure whether you meet all the requirements, we encourage you to apply. 

·        Practical working knowledge of M365 - SharePoint, Teams, Exchange, OneDrive. Confidence supporting colleagues to use it, and either experience of, or a clear willingness to learn, routine administration such as accounts and permissions. 

·        Understanding of good cyber hygiene practices - MFA, phishing awareness, access management, privileged account controls - sufficient to support colleagues and apply organisational policies. An understanding of what Cyber Essentials involves, and a willingness to learn what is needed to help WRT achieve and maintain accreditation.

·        Experience of Power Automate, Zapier, or similar tools to build simple workflows and reduce manual processes. (D)

·        Experience working with a CRM (Beacon, Salesforce, or similar), particularly in relation to data management, imports, or integrations. (D)

·        Experience working alongside developers or technical agencies - not as a developer, but as a technically aware client-side contact who can ask the right questions and sense-check technical claims. (D)

·        Understanding of the charity sector context, funding models, and the constraints of a small but growing organisation. (D)

·        Familiarity with cloud backup tools (eg CloudAlly or equivalent) and basic data resilience principles.  (D)

·        Familiarity with domain management, DNS and web hosting control panels (eg Plesk or cPanel), and with backend CMS maintenance such as plugin and patch updates. (D)

·        Some familiarity with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) considerations and basic mobile device management principles. (D)

·        Confident using a website content management system - our current estate is WordPress, though the new site may use a different platform. Able to make content and configuration changes, and to troubleshoot, triage and escalate problems with a site or its hosting.

·        Comfortable acting as an internal first point of contact for straightforward IT queries, triaging issues before escalating to the managed service provider.

·        Able to maintain accurate records including asset registers, software inventories, privileged account logs, and supplier contract documentation.

·        Able to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical colleagues and to translate developer or supplier communications into plain language for internal stakeholders.

·        Comfortable in a growing, evolving organisation. Proactive approach to developing new skills, including through mentoring and peer networks.

·        Familiarity with Power BI or similar for producing basic dashboards and reports from existing data sources. (D)

·        Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline - for example computing, information systems, digital media, data or a related field - or equivalent practical experience.

 

·        A genuinely varied role with real scope to shape how digital capability develops at WRT.

·        Structured support and mentoring - including external links with Digital Candle and the wider Rivers Trust network.

·        Primarily office based in Stoke Climsland, with some flexibility for remote working to suit the business needs.

·        A values-led organisation that cares deeply about its people and the environment. 

·        A role designed to grow - with genuine opportunity to develop technical confidence and take on greater complexity over time.

 Westcountry Rivers Trust is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.