Summary
Would you like to work with USPTO to support U.S. commerce and innovation? The Trademarks organization supports these goals in service to brand owners and entrepreneurs through the examination of trademark applications and issuance of trademark registrations.
We welcome innovative thinkers who enjoy a collaborative and dynamic work environment at the exciting intersection of trademark law, policies, regulations, and procedures related to the federal registration of trademarks.
Duties
If you are ready to showcase your legal skills in developing legislation, federal rules and agency policy related to the examination of applications for trademark registration, then we are excited for you to join our senior team as the Trademark Legal and Examination Policy Specialist. This position is located within the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy. The Office is charged with developing trademark examination policy and trademark regulations that implement examination policy and procedures.
As the Trademark Legal and Examination Policy Specialist, your colleagues will comprised of highly skilled team members with expertise in trademark law, business, data and project management, and IT, working together to ensure that new legislation, rules, and policy decisions are translated into revised procedures for Examining Attorneys and other staff under the Commissioner for Trademarks.
The person in this role:
- Reviews problem cases and identifies issues on which there is a need for a statement of examination policy. Discusses relevant issues with high-level agency officials and develops trademark examination policy whenever the law is undecided, unclear, or ambiguous and has resulted in a diversity of opinion as to its application, or where inconsistent practices have developed within the USPTO.
- Identifies examination procedures that are unnecessary or cumbersome and suggests ways to eliminate or revise the procedures to result in a more efficient and useful examination process.
- Serves as the principal specialist in preparing new rules that affect trademark policy, examination, and procedures. Conducts or participates in hearings, conferences and meetings with trademark organizations and private sector trademark attorneys to explain the proposed rules changes and, where appropriate, seek public comment.
- Translates policy decisions into revised rules and procedures for Examining Attorneys and support staff in organizations under the Commissioner for Trademarks.
- Produces official memoranda of USPTO policy and detailed directives to the examiners and the public for acceptable trademark practice and interpretation.
- Serves as an expert in trademark examination issues related to international treaties such as the Madrid Protocol, the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, and the Paris Convention.
- Serves as the liaison to the Office of Policy and International Affairs. Represents the agency in meetings with officials from foreign governments to explain U.S. practice regarding trademark examination and registration, and to explain the U.S. application of various international agreements relating to trademark registration. Assists in answering questions from members of Congress regarding trademark examination policy. Assists in developing new or revised legislation, including legislation that implements international agreements and treaties.
If you can see yourself in this role and are excited by our mission, we look forward to receiving your application!
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or a National
- Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check
- Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) if applicable
- Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) will be required upon appointment and annually
- You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period
Qualifications
To meet the minimum requirements for this position, candidates must demonstrate their experience in their narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) questions and all narrative responses must be fully supported within their resume. *Applicants must use the USA Jobs text boxes to submit their narrative responses to the PTQs. Do not write "see resume" or "see attached documents". Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.
Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications set forth below.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
For the following four PTQs you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications.
The Professional Technical Qualifications for this position are:
- Expert knowledge of trademark law, policy, practice, and procedure relating to the examination of applications for trademark registration, including knowledge of international trademark treaties.
- Expert knowledge of the rule making process and the process for developing examination policy.
- Experience analyzing and reviewing complex legal documents pertaining to Trademark law.
- Experience of effective communication, both written and oral to senior level officials.
Education
Candidates must have a law degree and active membership in good standing of the Bar of any state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any territorial court under the Constitution.
Benefits
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.
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.
In order to be considered for this position, you must (1) demonstrate in your application package that you meet the minimum specialized experience as defined under the "Qualifications" section, (2) fully answer the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and (3) submit a detailed resume that fully supports your answers to the PTQs and specialized experience.
Applicants must submit a separate written narrative addressing each PTQ which demonstrates possession of the qualifications, to be rated for further consideration.
Your responses to the PTQs and resume will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score. Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the "Required Documents" section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).
Required Documents
A complete application consists of:
- A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications: Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including job titles, salary, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, experience and how it relates to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) in the job announcement. Please Note: Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.
- Narrative responses to the PTQs: All applicants must submit a written narrative that demonstrates possession of the PTQs separately. Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the PTQs in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to. You must fully address each PTQ to be rated for further consideration. Do not write "see resume".
- Transcripts: You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are accepted, however, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirement. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration.
- Bar Membership Documentation: You MUST submit documentation showing that you are an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. This letter and/or certificate should be dated within the last six months of the closing date of this job announcement. If you are unable to obtain this information by the closing date of this announcement, you must contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement to make other arrangements prior to the closing date of the announcement.
- Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), if applicable - Please submit a current SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal Employee. Your status eligibility and highest permanent grade/step/salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action".
- Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable: Attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the USPTO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
- Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) documents: Applicants will be asked to submit: (1) A copy of your specific RIF notice, written notice of your expected separation or other documents of priority consideration status; (2) A copy of your latest SF-50 noting current position, grade, and duty location; (3) A copy of your last performance appraisal and the rating; and (4) Any documents from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
NOTE: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed.
Your application and all required documents must be received by 11:59 pm ET on the closing date of this job announcement. NOTE: The preceding documents requirement are based on job requirements and individual applicant eligibility. Failure to submit required documents, based upon how you apply, may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application.
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
How to Apply: *If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose this information within your application. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Please ensure that you have removed all PII on from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material. PII is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
- If you need technical assistance during the applicant click the Help Center section at the top of the page.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.You MUST apply online. Email, fax or paper resumes will not be accepted. If you experience difficulties with the application process, it is your responsibility to contact the HR Specialist listed in the "Contact Information" before the closing date of this job announcement.
Next steps
Candidates are evaluated by an executive rating panel based on the degree to which they meet the PTQs and considering the applicant's education, work-related experience, training, awards, and professional recognition, as set forth in the materials submitted by the candidates and placed in one of three pre-defined quality categories. These categories are "Highly Qualified", "Well Qualified" and "Qualified." Candidates placed in the highest quality category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.
You will receive notification through USAJOBS at each of the following points during the application process: (1) application received; (2) applicant assessed for qualifications; (3) applicant referred or not referred; and (4) selected or not selected. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging in to your USAJobs account, editing your profile, and changing the "Notification Settings" to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
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