Duties
The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is a key member of the staff of the Under Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and participates fully in the development, management, direction and evaluation of the office's programs, functions and activities. The CAO determines the appropriate methods of best accomplishing U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) management policy objectives and priorities.
The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer provides administrative services and support to the entire USPTO. Major areas of responsibility include the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Administrative Services, the Records and Information Compliance Program Office, the CAO Information Technology Program Office, and the Telework Program Office.
As the CAO, you will:
- Serve as the focal point through which all programs and projects/actions of the office receive effective central coordination and review. Decisions made include resources to be expended, the timing of major events, priority of projects and plans, and projects that should be initiated, dropped, or postponed. Ensures that appropriate long-range planning is coordinated and accomplished, and that there is maximum and efficient utilization of available resources.
- Share responsibility for carrying out the full range of management responsibilities and acts with full authority over the office functions/activities. Recommends courses of action and has full responsibility and authority to determine policies, plans, goals, and organization. Manages and directs major program functions/activities so there is consistency of operations.
- Assess the impact of Presidential guidance, legislative requirements, and similar external factors, and in taking action to satisfy requirements and improve systems and operations to meet goals and objectives
- Develop his/her position on major issues arising within the office's areas of responsibility. Toward this end, keeps abreast of USPTO programs, proposed policies, and planning issues, and keeps current on all program areas within the office.
- Work closely with senior managers within the office, providing advice and guidance regarding their responsibilities for programs and assigned activities. Motivates subordinate managers to incorporate vision, strategic planning, and elements of quality management into the full range of their activities. Assures full consideration of significant matters requiring attention and presents unresolved problems or conflicting interests for final determination, with a recommended course of action.
- Speak authoritatively in meetings with top USPTO officials, representatives of other government agencies, and other outside groups.
- Represent the office on various inter- and intra-agency groups and boards to coordinate policy, guidance, procedures and activities.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
- Required to successfully complete a 1-year SES probationary period (unless previously completed).
- A Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, and the supplemental form, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interest is required within 30 days after the selection for this position.
- Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
- You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and two Technical Qualifications (TQs), listed below in your resume. NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed and will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. If your resume does not demonstrate evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.
TQ 1: Ability to direct, plan and manage complex operational activities including real property, mail services, travel, vehicle management and human resources management.
TQ 2: Demonstrated ability to develop and implement innovative management or human capital strategies and solutions in a large, complex organization.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQS): In addition to the Technical Qualification requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.
ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and Principles of the American Founding: Requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency: Involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ 3: Merit and Competence: Involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ 4: Leading People: Involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
ECQ 5: Achieving Results: Involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.
Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECQs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) or your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.
Education
There is no education requirement for this position.
Additional information
This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.
Except as prohibited by law, all applicants tentatively selected for positions needing a Top-Secret Clearance will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and, if appointed, the incumbent will be subjected to random drug testing procedures.
The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov.
Veteran's preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.
Mobility: Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders. Individuals selected for SES positions members may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines, and may be required to sign a Reassignment Rights and Obligation Agreement.
Tiering: The USPTO structures its SES positions into categories (i.e. tiers) to determine the pay range for each position. The categories are based on the position scope, breadth, functions, and placement within the structure of organizational levels across the agency.
OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, Schedule G, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political appointee, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.
USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity via email (oeeo@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Technical Qualifications (TQs) listed above. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your 2-page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.
Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position. The selected individual's application will be forwarded to OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. For more information regarding the SES, got to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/.
Required Documents
A complete application includes items described below. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants.
1. RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to 2-pages pdf format no less than 11pt font and 0.8 margins, showing all relevant experience. Applicants seeking initial career appointment to the Senior Executive Service (SES) must include evidence of the ECQs and TQs.
2. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation if applicable:
- CURRENT OR FORMER SES MEMBERS: Must provide your SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action (or equivalent)), or SF-50 showing career SES reinstatement eligibility.
- SES CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (SESCDP) GRADUATES: Verification of successful completion of an OPM-approved SESCDP and OPM SES QRB certification.
- CURRENT FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE: Must provide a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent.
3.
ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBER: Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service.
Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.