CONTRACT - Digital Archivist, Historical Systems
About The Position
Nintendo of America is seeking a Digital Archivist, Historical Systems, to support preservation, organization, and access to historical hardware and software information. The role designs and implements a structured framework for technical records, engineering documentation, source materials, and institutional knowledge related to legacy systems and platforms. The archivist works with subject matter experts across engineering, product development, legal, and business teams to establish standards and processes that keep historical information discoverable, usable, and preserved. This is an approximately 12-month contract position based in the Redmond, Washington area. It is hybrid, requiring regular onsite work according to the division’s schedule and guidelines; fully remote status is not available. The position includes a base pay range of $35–$55 USD and is eligible for benefits through the employing agency, subject to elections, eligibility requirements, and plan and program terms. Agency benefits include eligibility for medical insurance, an employee assistance program, and paid sick leave; offerings will be confirmed at the time of offer and may vary by agency partner.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in library and information science, Archives, Museum Studies, Information Management, History, Technical Communication, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
- At least 2 years of experience in one or more of the following: digital archives, records management, metadata management, knowledge management, information architecture, digital asset management, or library science.
- Experience developing metadata structures, taxonomies, classification systems, or naming conventions.
- Experience organizing and managing large collections of digital content and documentation.
- Strong research, analytical, and documentation skills.
- Ability to work independently and manage ambiguous or incomplete information.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Archives and Records Management certification or comparable archival training.
- Museum Studies or Public History background.
- Experience with digital asset management systems, content management systems, archives platforms, knowledge repositories, or relational databases.
- Familiarity with metadata and archival standards such as Dublin Core, DACS, EAD, PREMIS, MODS, or similar frameworks.
- Experience conducting oral history interviews or structured subject matter expert interviews.
- Experience organizing technical documentation, engineering records, product development materials, or software and hardware collections.
- Interest in or experience with technology history, consumer electronics, gaming, software development, or technical product archives.
Responsibilities
- Design and maintain metadata schemas for historical hardware and software assets.
- Develop taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, naming conventions, and classification frameworks.
- Create standards for organizing engineering, development, and technical documentation.
- Establish relationships between platforms, software, peripherals, technical specifications, source materials, and supporting documentation.
- Develop data dictionaries and supporting documentation to ensure consistent metadata application.
- Build and maintain a searchable repository of historical systems information.
- Define repository structure and organizational standards based on business and user needs.
- Ensure historical records can be efficiently discovered and reused by engineering, legal, product development, research, and business teams.
- Recommend improvements to information organization, accessibility, and long-term usability.
- Interview subject matter experts and long-tenured employees to capture institutional knowledge.
- Translate informal knowledge into structured, searchable documentation.
- Validate historical information through multiple sources and document findings.
- Create reference materials, summaries, and supporting documentation for future use.
- Develop documentation standards and archival procedures.
- Maintain data quality and metadata consistency.
- Recommend long-term retention and preservation strategies.
Benefits
- Agency benefits include eligibility for medical insurance, employee assistance program, and paid sick leave. Benefits are subject to elections, eligibility requirements, and plan and program terms; offerings will be confirmed at the time of offer and may differ depending on the employing agency partner.
