Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens.

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year.

All applicants will be assessed for executive competency against the five mandatory Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). If your two-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and PTQs, you will not receive further consideration for the position. For more information regarding the SES and ECQs, please visit the Executive Core Qualifications page.

The Group Director (Director) serves under the general administrative direction of the Assistant Commissioners. The Director's duties include, but are not limited to:

• Operating and administrating at least one group in a Technology Center, identifying and allocating resource needs, initiating programs consistent with the priorities and goals of the Agency, communicating policy and decisions, establishing procedures, adjudicating petitions, participating in activities which promote the goals of the Office and supporting improvements programs presented by the Commissioner.
• Implementing of policy for the Patent Examining Groups, including changes in patent practice, revision of procedures, establishment of examining priorities, and classification of arts. The Director oversees the needs of the Group(s) pertaining to patent examination processes utilizing the Patent Statutes, the Rules of Practice, the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure and the Director's directives from the Office of the Under Secretary and the Office of the Commissioner for Patents.
• Monitoring the groups and art units for compliance with the policies and procedures of the Office. If discrepancies are identified, it is the duty of the Director to present these issues to the managers and subordinated to ensure a resolution. Additionally, the Director has the ability to resolve concerns that arise between subordinates including decisions of patentability. The Director is also responsible for communicating issues that arise in the Technology Centers and Groups to his/her superiors.
• Determining firepower needs; hiring personnel consistent with merit, qualifications and recruitment principles; placing examiners in art units best suited to their technological backgrounds and consistent with the business needs of the Office; recommending reassignments, if necessary; determining if art units should be re- organized and the reassignment of staff. Thus, the Director selects Subordinate Patent Examiners, SPRES, QAS and clerical supervisors to supervise subordinate art units and the technical support staff. The Director, is responsible for performance support staff supervisors, and reviews performance ratings for examiners and any other staff members.
• Communicating policy and procedures to their subordinates and communicating issues from the subordinates to their superiors. If discrepancies are identified, the Director present these issues to the managers and subordinated to ensure a resolution. Additionally, the Director has the ability to resolve concerns that arise between subordinates including decisions of patentability.
• Adjudicating petitions and approving Office actions in reexamination application where patents are involved in litigation. The Director is also responsible for ensuring classification of the arts and documents in the Technology Center are kept current. The Director may be assigned duties as representing the Office to Bar associations and other parties.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Subject to a 1-year Senior Executive Service (SES) probationary period (unless already completed).
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• 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. (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx)
• File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.

Qualifications

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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) or the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs).

PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.

PTQ 1: Demonstrated management of professional staff in the patent prosecution process prioritizing responsibilities, guiding teams through challenges, devising and implementing solutions and achieving measurable results.

PTQ 2: Demonstrated ability to develop, lead, and implement organizational policies and programs in Intellectual Property and expert knowledge of scientific, technical, and legal matters in the patent process (application preparation/prosecution, classification, comparable patent-field work) sufficient to manage and lead others.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Professional 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 and PTQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

There are five ECQs:

• ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding
• ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency
• ECQ 3: Merit and Competence
• ECQ 4: Leading People
• ECQ 5: Achieving Results

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)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

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. ECQs and PTQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and required documentation will be conducted. If applicants are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review the resume and Accomplishment Record. Candidates must address all five competencies within a two-page limit using brief written narratives that describes one example of competency-related experience and demonstrates the candidate's proficiency in the following competencies:

• Rule of Law: Upholds the principles of the American Founding, including equality under the law and democratic self-government. Ensures the law is applied fairly and consistently.
• Managing Resources: Manages resources efficiently and effectively based on current and projected organizational goals, skills, budget considerations, and staffing needs.
• Technical Skill: Possesses the requisite technical knowledge and subject matter expertise to consistently produce timely, high-quality work. Is considered a strong contributor in his or her domain.
• Accountability: Ensures that employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, trained, and retained. Takes swift action to address performance or conduct-based deficiencies in employees supervised. Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results.
• Innovation: Applies creativity to improving products and processes, challenges convention, takes measured risks, and considers ways to simplify and remove unnecessary requirements.

Candidate resumes must provide evidence that supports the claims made in their Accomplishment Record. This document must be uploaded to the application under Accomplishment Record. An accomplishment record submitted outside the USA Staffing system will not be accepted. Narrative responses must be in the below format:

Competency Title
Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained

• Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved)
• Describe the specific actions you took
• State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment
• Name and email address of someone who can verify this information

Superior 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 the 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, go to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/.

A complete application consists of all items listed below. Required materials must be submitted by the conclusion of the staffing process. Applications that are incomplete at that time may not be considered.

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 PTQs. PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.

2. ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD: Candidates must address all five competencies within a two-page limit using brief written narratives that describes one example of competency-related experience. Each example should document the position title and dates when the experience was obtained, detailed information about the problem or situation, the specific actions taken by the applicant, and the results or outcomes achieved by those actions. The applicant will also provide the name and contact information of an individual who can verify the provided information.

3. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation if applicable:

• CURRENT OR FORMER SES MEBERS: Must provide your SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), and an SF-50 showing current career SES status or career SES reinstatement eligibility.
• SES CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (SESCDP) GRADUATES: Verification of successful completion of an OPM-approved SESCDP and OPM SES QRB certification.

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.

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