Research & Editorial Internship, Water Sustainability in Oxford

Oxford Internship No working from home possible

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At a Glance

Tasks: Assist in research and editorial tasks focused on water sustainability and reuse initiatives.
Company: Join Global Water Intelligence, a leader in water sector insights and innovation.
Benefits: Earn £14.50/hour with hybrid work options and gain hands-on experience.
Other info: Opportunity for future employment and mentorship from industry experts.
Why this job: Make a real impact on global water policies while developing your research and writing skills.
Qualifications: Curiosity about water and climate, strong writing skills, and attention to detail.

Location: Oxford OX1 1XX (hybrid options available)

Pay: £14.50/hour

Contract: Full-time (37.5 hours/week), starting as soon as possible, for an initial six months

Half of every drop reused by 2045. Today the world reuses 11% of its municipal water. The Scaling Water Reuse Initiative (SWRI) is working to raise that to 50% by 2045. Founded by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) and the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), the SWRI is building a global coalition behind that goal, and its working groups are currently shaping a policy paper for the 2026 UN Water Conference. GWI is deepening its analysis of this reuse opportunity, to shape the conversation on how to drive global economic growth without straining the world’s water resources.

As a cornerstone of this research, we will be producing a data-driven white paper investigating the untapped potential for partnerships between industries and utilities to deliver water security and sustainable growth in water-stressed locations. We are looking for a sharp, curious intern to help make all of it excellent – ideal for someone considering a future in research, journalism or analysis in water and climate.

The role

This Work Rewards a Few Particular Strengths. AI is only as good as the thinking behind it – you can't summarise a debate you don't understand, so you will need to get up to speed on the key messages quickly and work methodically.

What You Will Gain

Curiosity: quick to grasp new, technical subject matter, with a genuine interest in water, climate or the wider environmental sector.
Research and data: comfortable working through dense material – complex data, recordings, documents – to find the evidence that matters, standardise and validate datasets, spot errors, and use the numbers to tell a story.
A strong writer: turning discussion into accurate, engaging summaries – in words and in visuals. Few people have time to read at length, so writing needs to be concise and lucid; non-native English is fine – we can edit for that.
Organised and detail-oriented: methodical, and committed to error-free work – our authority depends on it.
Comfortable with AI: you'll use tools like Claude and ChatGPT to accelerate the work, while exercising good judgement to ensure high-quality outputs via efficient workflows.
Real, named deliverables you helped shape, from research through to publication.
Hands-on AI experience, and a front-row view of how an established information business is putting it to work.
Direct exposure to the organisations and experts driving global water reuse policy, with mentoring from our team along the way.
Broad involvement, real responsibility, and potential future employment for exceptional performers.

About GWI And The Initiative

Global Water Intelligence is a specialist publisher of business intelligence on the global water sector, with offices in Oxford and Shanghai. GWI is a Founding Partner of the SWRI alongside IDRA.

Applications close 5 August 2026; a covering letter is required to be considered. As part of our recruitment process, we may use AI tools to help review and organise applications; a person always makes the final decision.