Job summary  

The Business Systems Technical Writer Intern supports the IT department by creating clear, end‑user‑focused documentation for service portal request forms and related business workflows. While the position is primarily focused on documentation and knowledge management, there may be opportunities to assist with application support and/or lightweight development activities depending on the intern’s skill set and departmental needs. Tools such as HTML editors, Visio, Snagit and SharePoint to create written content, screenshots, and visuals to write knowledge base articles or other documentation formats will be used throughout this internship.

This summer internship is based at Platte River's headquarters and is a 3-month (40 hours per week) opportunity. Interested students should have a reliable mode of transportation and should reside within a commutable distance of Fort Collins.   

This posting will remain active until April 20. 

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Document service portal request forms, business workflows, and process stages in language accessible to non‑technical end users.
• Create, edit, and maintain knowledge base articles in the ServiceNow Knowledge Management system.
• Develop step‑by‑step guides, FAQs, and job aids to help users understand requests and workflow lifecycle stages.
• Collaborate with IT teams and business stakeholders to gather requirements and ensure documentation accuracy.
• Create and edit diagrams, screenshots, and other visual aids to support written documentation.
• Help establish documentation templates, standards, and formatting guidelines to ensure consistency across knowledge articles.
• Update and refine documentation as systems, forms, and workflows evolve.
• As needed and based on skills and interest, assist with application support activities and/or development tasks.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Specific interest in technology, business systems, and process‑driven workflows.
• Strong writing and editing skills with an emphasis on clarity, usability, and consistency.
• Ability to write documentation for end users with varying levels of technical proficiency.
• Experience using Microsoft Word, HTML and other editors to create shared file or web-based documentation artifacts.
• Familiarity with tools such as Snagit, Visio, or similar applications to produce annotated screenshots, process diagrams and other visuals.
• Understanding of technology concepts such as programming languages, databases, web architectures and integration protocols.
• Ability to learn and assimilate new technologies.
• Ability to work productively as a team member with a desire to learn and contribute to the department’s work needs.
• Good communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills that foster productive working relationships.
• Motivation and willingness to work with general supervision and receive feedback while learning.

Qualifications

• Students pursuing degrees in the following areas:

• Technical Writing or Professional Writing.
• English, Communications, or Journalism.
• Information Systems or Management Information Systems (MIS).
• Business Administration.
• User Experience (UX) or Human‑Computer Interaction (HCI).

Internship outcomes

• Hands‑on experience creating enterprise‑level IT documentation.
• Exposure to ServiceNow, business systems, and workflow‑based applications.
• Experience working within an IT department at a regulated electric utility.
• Opportunities to expand skills into application support or development areas, depending on interest and capability.

Physical demands

• Light to moderate physical effort that includes frequent standing or walking or maintaining arms and hands in the same position for repetitive tasks. Frequently works with light objects and light hand tools.

Hazards

• Minimal exposure to hazards are typically found in general office environment where there is rarely to no exposure to injury or accident.

Work environment 

• Exposure to routine office noise and equipment.

Pay range for internship: $20 to $25 per hour

Factors that may be used to determine actual salary include specific skills, years of experience, education and certifications.

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