Update: Aaaand it looks like the position has been taken already, according to this message that pops up when you visit the careers page:
Sorry folks!
Okay, this must be a dream job for someone out there, right? The Pokémon Company International is looking for someone to help them create an ‘internal’ Archive and Museum, Vice reports.
This job is all about maintaining a digital archive and museum on the entire Pokémon brand. That’s everything from video games, merchandise, the Trading Card Game, all of the little ‘mons, the shows, and movies – there’s an endless amount of things in the Pokémon world, which makes it the perfect job for all of you Pokémon nerds out there.
The job will be situated in Bellevue, Washington, and requires a lot more than simply just being a big Pokémon fan. You’ll need to have a degree in Library Science, Archives Management, Information Management, or any related field of study to stand a good chance of getting in, along with between 3-4 years of professional experience in Archiving. Well, there goes our chances!
So, with thousands of resources to store away somewhere for The Pokemon Company, here’s the job description, along with the roles, responsibilities, and skills:
Get to know the role
Job Title: Archivist
Job Summary: This role will be contributing to the establishment and development of an internal TPCi Company Archive and Museum. This role will work with the TCG Product team’s Game Data Librarian to conduct large-scale inventories, write policy, process, catalog, preserve, and other duties that will establish and develop the company’s first internal archive from the ground up.What you'll do
- Support the teams responsible for the construction of the internal physical repository with knowledge of archival standards and best practices.
- Assessment and selection of digital repositories and database software in conjunction with archival best practices and company needs.
- Establish policies, procedures, and descriptive metadata schema for use in the archives.
- Accession, appraisal, and processing of object and record collections in multiple formats and ensuring access to those archival holdings.
- Preservation and storage of archival holdings in repository.
- Support day-to-day work by providing reference services to internal employees and collaborate with other teams on special projects.
- Manage retention, lifecycle, and logistics of TCG samples.
- Assist with digitization of holdings and integration of archives database with other internal company tools.
- Maintain security and safety of physical and digital repositoriesWhat you’ll bring
- Three (3) to four (4) years of related professional experience.
- Bachelors degree required.
- Experience in establishing and/or developing corporate or business archives.
- Experience in writing archives management policies such as collecting policies, mandates, retention schedules, and other process documentation for a corporate or business archive.
- Experience in conducting inventories/surveys, archival processing, and acquisitions in a business or corporate setting.
- Experience in vetting and establishing software for use in archival description and internal employee access/research.
- Database integration or linked data experience preferred.
- Understanding of TPCi games and brand. Knowledge of trading card games.
- Ability to work independently, handle multiple assignments, balance priorities and meet deadlines.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Great analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to improve functionality or best practices.
- Ability to plan and establish policies with long-term goals in mind.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, Archives Management, Information Management, or related field of study, preferred.How you’ll be successful
- Passion for Pokémon: Develops an understanding of the Pokémon brand, the impact it has on our people, culture, business, fans, and communities, and applying that knowledge and passion to everything you do.
- Challenging the Expected: Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, embracing the possibility of failure as an opportunity to learn something new, develop innovative ideas, solve complex problems and identify unique opportunities.
- Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates integrity and respect by leading with empathy, listening to others, seeking out different perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results.
- Dedicated to Quality: Takes ownership to maintain and promote high standards, looks for new ways to learn and improve, and embraces a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others in an effort to continuously improve.
- Building Relationships: Develops and strengthens relationships, adopting a “team first” mentality and working collaboratively to solve problems and meet shared goals.
- Delighting Customers: Listens and understands the interests and needs of our customers and stakeholders, making them feel heard and important, and embracing these learnings to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.
If this job sounds like your cup of tea, and you’ve got what it takes to be the very best Pokemon archivist ever, then you can check out the application and apply right here. The proposed pay for the role is – wait for it – between $77,000 and $118,000.
While this all sounds like fun and games, the Pokémon franchise is expanding rapidly, with Pokémon Scarlet & Violet due out later this year. We have no idea how many new Pokémon will be entering the fray, or what new media, but there’s a lot of work ahead for this budding Archivist. Good luck!
Would you like to take on this job? Have you ever wanted to help archive for a video game company? Let us know in the comments!
[source vice.com]
Comments 31
Other requirement is the archivist has to have a tree/plant sounding last name. Or they have to change their name.
If only I am a dedicated fan of all things Pokemon I would take the job but I am only fan of the show, movies, and videogames. I hardly buy anything else when it comes to Pokemon.
WELL DO I HAVE A TWITTER USER FOR YOU.
This is such a bizarre thing to see honestly: the creators of a multi-million dollar video game franchise...... actually wanting to preserve it's history? With how many take-downs of emulation sites we've seen over the years from various different companies, stuff like this is damn near unheard of (I'm aware this is a separate thing to emulation but perservation of any kind still very unusual with video games).
@Fizza
Darn I was going to make the same joke, but with the leader of Bulbapedia.
Can they wait 4 years? I'll get a diploma if it means I'll oversee the preservation of Pokémon's history.
I'm studying Library Sciences right now. I'll have to look into this in a few years. This is establishing the archives. I figure an opening will open in a couple years to pad out the staff
This is what happens when create too many Pokemon. Imagine how many archived material they will have in a hundred years.
Dr. Lava or Joe Merrick would be perfect for this role
We already have Bulbapedia
This is a tech position and not the position of an librarian.
This is essentially an official Pokemon wiki, it seems... I wish more companies did stuff like that to be honest.
They can archive Pokémon history by bringing back the national dex #BBND
Wouldn't there be a lot of overlap with the aforementioned Bulbapedia and Serebii.net? Can't they just hire them? Or does TPC figure it'll be cheaper to hire their own people in a full-time capacity?
I think I just answered my own questions.
Or you could simply enjoy a game and not obsess about something as silly as the lore of Pokemon
@ZZalapski was thinking the same thing.
@jojobar no. A tech position would be programming the database or something. This is setting up an archive and very much an administrative position.
More than an archivist, I think we need someone to make sure the terms between localizations of the different media and whatnot are consistent.
Back on Gen VI, which is when they were releasing the Pokémon mainline versions in various languages, the attack names established in Latin America thanks to the anime dub got thrown away in favor of copy-pasting the Spain localization of the games, apparently also in other media since the Latin American slogan went from "¡Atrapalos Ya!", also established by the anime dub, to "¡Hazte con Todos", the same as in Spain.
I haven't checked if they still do that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continue like this.
That's also an issue I have with Cuphead and The Cuphead Show, the names of the characters aren't consistent in Spanish.
Oddly enough, that job advert would fall foul of equality legislation in the UK for the line, "Three (3) to four (4) years of related professional experience."
@Fizza Its a marketing thing.
They take down all the IP content used externally so they can cash grab tourist visiting this 'archive'.
Thing is unless they take down bulbapedia, serebii, etc its kinda pointless but hey, if someone is up to the task with that education kudos on the living.
The perfect job for the folks that run Bulbapedia
What the Pokemon Company should do is create a series of Planet Earth-like documentaries shot in the same cgi live-action style of Detective Pikachu. That would be such a hit and more people overall would be more interested in rewatching that content than a movie like Detective Pikachu.
Good for them, preserving videogame history is very important!
Also I can think of a few indeviduals who do this sort of thing as a hobby so i'm sure there were a ton of applicants right out ofbthe gate.
@Ryu_Niiyama ah, poor dr lava... You were so close.
@Serpenterror you don't have tto buy it, just preserve what tpc already has.
@thinkhector poes law?
@Xaessya bulpapedia is an encyclopedia not an archive. You can read about pokemon pinball but you can't play it.
@Jordium_Z uhm... No?
@ZZalapski the biggest advantage is preserving the media itself without re-releasing it and/or allowing copyright infringement.
Seribii and bulbapedia don't have comprehensive media archives in their site just reports just links to and JPGs of official media.
I actually worked in an archive for a few years and it's a full time job, ideally, your goal is to make something that could outlast the internet. And for a game company, that includes preserving internal documents and game betas they can't share with the public
@steventonysmith or you can enjoy a game by obsessing over the lore
Or you could go through the painstaking effort to preserve games for future generations to enjoy.
@Araquanid from what I know about archives and from my take on this job advert, i don't think it will be availible to the public...
@Dilly-Mick Thanks for your informed reply.
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