Summary

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is headquartered in Alexandria, VA. The mission of the USPTO is to promote innovation and competitiveness by providing quality and timely examination and issuance of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property policy, and delivering intellectual property information and education worldwide.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all groups of qualified individuals.

Duties

The USPTO is searching for an experienced technical executive with substantial experience in intellectual property matters. This position requires a results-driven, service-centered, and people-oriented individual to lead the Patents business unit. The Patents business unit is a large, technical-skilled organization that examines applications and grants patents; it publishes and disseminates patent information; records assignments of patents; and maintains search files of U.S. and foreign patents.

As the Commissioner for Patents you will work directly with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO and the rest of the executive team at our Alexandria, Virginia headquarters. You'll be at the forefront of the patents life cycle and will develop strategies to support our agency's mission in progressing American innovation.

Additional duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Oversee and responsibly manage all aspects of the Patent organization including policy, operations, and budget relating to patent examination, registration, and maintenance.
Serve as the primary agency official for Patents and interacts on a regular basis with a wide array of stakeholders domestically and internationally.
Establish the vision for the future of the Patents organization and maps out vision-oriented initiatives and provides strategic direction for accomplishing the initiatives.
Engage with members of the public, officials of other government agencies, Department of Commerce and Patent and Trademark Office employees, members of congress, and foreign government officials to expand access to the innovation ecosystem and to promote strong intellectual property protection across the world.
Ensure that the best possible processes are in place to issue high quality patents that directly promote innovation, create jobs, and add value to the global economy.

The Commissioner for Patents is a term appointment for five years, and may be reappointed to subsequent terms of 5 years.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
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.
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.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
You may 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.
May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.

Qualifications

This position requires a high level of technical expertise in patent operations and the intellectual property field. This position also requires a broad level of management authority and scope. The Commissioner must demonstrate they possesses the necessary attributes to be successful in advancing the duties, which includes the following leadership core qualifications:

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.
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.
Merit and Competence: Involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
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.
Achieving Results: Involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Education

The educational requirement for this position is a scientific or technical degree or the equivalent level of experience.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

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.

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

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.

Your resume will be reviewed to determine how well you meet the qualifications for this position. Upon completion, you may be call for an interview.

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 two (2) pages (i.e., 1 page that is double-sided or 2 pages that are one-sided each) showing all relevant experience. Applicants seeking initial career appointment to the Senior Executive Service (SES) must include evidence of the ECQs and TQs. PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.

2. EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected and not already on file. See "Education" for more details.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

You must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date.

Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in or create an account. Then prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application".
Add your two-page resume.
Select the documents you want to be included in this application.
Review the package to acknowledge that your documents were reviewed.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.

Agency contact information

John Edmond

Phone: 571-272-8479
Email: john.edmond@uspto.gov

Address: EXRD - Office of the Under Secretary and Director
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US

Next steps

The USPTO will conduct a qualifications evaluation of applicants who submit the required material. Qualified applicants will be rated and ranked by an executive-level rating panel. Best-qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome after the completion of the selection process.

Commissioner for Patents Job in Alexandria, VA