Internship (thesis or work placement): Operational ICT Engineer (Infrastructure, Operations & Transition)

Do you want to make an impact in a complex, professional ICT environment? At KWR, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the next phase of our infrastructure. The foundation is solid, but over the past few years the environment has become more complex. That is why we are now moving towards greater standardization, clear role definitions, and structured collaboration with our IT partner Proact.

During this internship, you will play an active role in this transition. You will help make the existing infrastructure clear and manageable, contribute to standardizing configurations and processes, and support the clear documentation of tasks and responsibilities. You will also help think about how operations, management, and governance can be organized in a future-proof way.

The result? A professionally structured ICT environment that is transferable and sustainable — with your work being directly visible and of lasting value.

What will you do?

During your internship, you will actively contribute to the professionalization of our operational ICT environment. Your focus will be on making the infrastructure transparent, transferable, and manageable, reducing complexity through standardization, and structurally transferring operational tasks to our supplier Proact. This ensures that procedures, patching, and management processes are demonstrably in control, allowing the internal ICT coordinator to focus on security and cloud development.

Specifically, you will work on:

• Analyzing the infrastructure (servers, storage environments, networks, firewalls, integrations, backup and restore solutions, and management and patch processes);
• Documenting the current situation: what runs where, by whom, and why;
• Identifying unnecessary complexity and proposing standard configurations, clear management agreements, and well-defined exceptions;
• Documenting and improving patch, update, incident, and change processes, as well as backup & restore procedures;
• Supporting software inventory and license management in collaboration with workplace management, with a focus on overall coherence.

Research question

How can the existing ICT infrastructure be operationally standardized and documented in such a way that continuity, security, and clarity of responsibilities are ensured?

Your profile 

• You are enrolled in a Bachelor’s (HBO) program in ICT, Infrastructure, or Networking;
• You have an interest in servers, networks, and systems management;
• You work in a structured way and document carefully;
• You are not afraid to ask questions and dig deeper;
• You enjoy switching between technology, processes, and suppliers.

Preferred (not required):

• Basic knowledge of networks, firewalls, Windows/Linux servers;
• Affinity with ITIL, management processes, or Managed Service Providers (MSPs);
• Interest in security and cloud (Azure).

Our offer for you

• A substantive and realistic internship in a production environment;
• Guidance from an experienced ICT coordinator;
• Collaboration with a professional managed services provider (Proact);
• A high level of independence and responsibility;
• An internship allowance, laptop, and other facilities;
• Hybrid work model: work from home and office
• An internship that truly contributes to stability and professionalization within ICT.

About us

KWR is an internationally renowned research institute in the field of water quality, the water cycle, and sustainable development. “Bridging science to practice” is our mission. From our fully sustainable building with state-of-the-art laboratories, approximately 200 employees work within two knowledge groups on innovative projects in the Netherlands and increasingly across Europe and beyond. The ten Dutch drinking water companies and the Belgian company ‘De Watergroep’ are our shareholders. Our researchers operate at the intersection of science, industry, and society. Their strength lies in translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions for end users in the Dutch and international water sector. To support research, KWR has specialized laboratories, a pilot hall, and builds pilot installations in-house. In addition, company-specific software is developed for use within projects.

Interesse?

Would you like to learn how infrastructure is truly managed, how to gain control over complexity, and how to make an environment transferable to a supplier? Then this is a unique opportunity to gain experience at the intersection of technology, operations, and governance. Please email your cover letter and resume to vacancy@kwrwater.nl