- Experience governance best practice first hand
- Grow your strategic and leadership skills
- Gain insights into a community led organisation
The Opportunity
Central Lakes Trust (CLT) is committed to developing governance capability within the Central Lakes region and over time contribute to a growing local pool of emerging directors.
CLT is offering an emerging director an 18-month Internship for their Board to gain valuable experience and insight into governance best practice.
CLT is dedicated to supporting charitable organisations within the Central Lakes funding region. Its mission is to ‘enhance assets and enrich lives’ by supporting their community. Since inception in 2000, CLT has had a significant impact, approving grants of $158.9 million, as of 31 March 2025. Grants are diverse and representative of the communities CLT serves, from environment and heritage to community wellbeing, to community recreation, arts and culture and lifelong learning. CLT’s office is based in Cromwell.
The 2026 Internship will begin in February. The role is unpaid and does not have voting rights.
What to Expect
Supported throughout your internship, the experience will enhance both your leadership skills and governance capability. You will be guided by experienced, knowledgeable and professional Trustees across a range of governance issues with a focus on maximising benefits to society and local communities.
Through your observation and participation (over time), you will improve your understanding of the complex challenges of balancing revenue with purpose, performance with people and an organisation’s impact with the needs of its diverse stakeholders.
The Ideal Intern
CLT welcomes the diversity of thought and perspectives an Intern brings to a Board and is open to all backgrounds. Based in the Central Lakes region, you’ll be active within your own community and will appreciate the valuable contributions CLT makes both commercially and in the not-for-profit sector.
You will likely be currently employed in a senior role, or operating as a functional specialist, with experience advising at an executive or Board level. (This opportunity is also open to CEs of small businesses and/or not-for-profit organisations.)
You may already have some governance experience as a director or trustee of smaller organisations and are now looking to broaden that experience.
You will be able to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing professional development, and you will be open to constructive mentoring and personal development.
Strong communication skills and a degree of commercial or business acumen, is essential as is the capacity, and ability, to commit 10 to 15 hours a month.