Director of the Office of Information Technology for Patents

Duties The Director of OITP shall assist the Assistant Commissioner in leading and managing the operations in OITP as well as develop technical analyses and well-documented tactical implementation approaches and initiatives that will ensure the accomplishment of the USPTO's priorities, goals and objectives. The incumbent will also: Oversee the provision of information technology resources, infrastructure, and capabilities for the examining corps, patent support organizations, and external stakeholders; examples of resources, infrastructure, and capabilities include cloud migrations, artificial intelligence (AI), electronic filing and management of patent applications, and publications of Patent documents.Support the development, delivery, and administration of automation training including step-by-step transition guides to ensure successful adoption and implementation of new methodologies.Provide support of automation products and services to the Patents business unit.Promote and carry out initiatives and practices in support of the strategic plan and goals of the USPTO.Aide in the development of policies and procedures that affect immediate organizations in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining IT solutions.Develop and implement best practices and processes with respect to Intellectual Property.Identify recurring challenges, analyzing trends and establishing measures addressing these challenges, trends and needs consistent with the policies of the Office. Provide a reporting and evaluation system to determine the operating effectiveness, including staffing analysis.Participate in the formulation and ensure implementation of quality assurance and quality standards for training new examiners to use appropriate information technology resources.Create avenues for user involvement to determine needs and to transform these needs into requirements, and to gain agreement on their priority.Provide oversight for transmission of requirements to the Office of the Chief Information Officer and actively assist in the project management, development, and deployment of the resulting tools.Ensure support and coordination for automation-related projects resulting from international projects and agreements. The incumbent's management responsibility is to meet administrative and technical objectives and implement programs directed by the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners for Patents, which covers the following organizations: The Office of Patent Automation (OPA)The Office of Patent Information Resources (OPIR)The Office of Scientific and Technical Information Resources (STIC)The Office of Governance and Program Support (GPS)Requirements Conditions of EmploymentYou must be a U.S. Citizen or a National.Your resume and question responses must demonstrate comprehensive, recent experience in the duties described.You must serve a one-year probationary period unless you previously completed one year in the Senior Executive Service.Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) will be required upon appointment. Qualifications Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications and executive core 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. Please provide your narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) questions - Do not write "see resume" or "see attached".Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the PTQs and ECQs in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ and each ECQ have a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) and must be adhered to. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQ's and ECQs will not be accepted.Professional Technical Qualifications:Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate complex IT program positions and policies, and the ability to interact with a wide variety of stakeholders and colleagues and provide options/ alternatives to remedy problems and identify opportunities associated with a technically complex organization.Demonstrated ability to manage information technology resources such as infrastructure and capabilities regarding cloud migrations, artificial intelligence, and electronic filing and management systems to provide technical and organizational leadership to develop, evaluate, appropriately integrate and oversee programs in the patent business areasExpert working knowledge of the scientific, technical and legal issues associated with patent examining processes and functions that affect the development and implementation of automated information systems.Experience in directing, supervising and evaluating the activities of a professional organization. Ability to develop and achieve organizational goals; delegate assignments; motivate subordinates, teams, and individuals; and establish and maintain a positive working environment.Please Note: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM, only need to submit a resume and narrative statement covering each of the PTQs requirements and do NOT need to address the ECQs. For the following five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications. Be sure to provide specific examples of what you've done that demonstrates your possession of each ECQ. For more information about the Executive Core Qualifications please visit this site: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference- materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdfExecutive Core Qualifications: Leading Change - This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.Leading People - This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.Results Driven - This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems and calculating risks.Business Acumen - This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically.Building Coalitions - This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Result (C-C-A-R) model outlined in the Guide To SES Qualifications.Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.Note: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQ's and ECQs will not be accepted. Education The minimum educational requirement for the incumbent is at least a bachelor's degree in an engineering, scientific, or technical field or at least a bachelor's degree in any of the following areas from an accredited college or university: industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts, or art teacher education, or a degree equivalent to one of the listed degrees. Additional informationProbationary Period: You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period unless you previously completed the probationary period in the SES.Mobility: Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders and generally is a key to advancement. Therefore, applicants are expected to be mobile and once appointed SES members may be reassigned at the discretion of the appointing authority. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "high" risk. The incumbent may be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and, if appointed, the incumbent may 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 http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtmAll Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid. Veteran preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service. More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended, requires senior officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches to file public reports of their finances as well as other interests outside the Government. If selected for this position you will be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278). The OGE 278 is available to the public. The primary purpose of disclosure is to assist agencies in identifying potential conflicts of interest between a filer's official duties and the filer's private financial interests and affiliations. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, 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 & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292). Help 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 benefitsEligibility 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 EvaluatedYou 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. In order to be considered for this position, you must demonstrate in your application package that you meet the minimum specialized experience as defined under the "Qualifications" section, answer the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs), Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), and submit a detailed resume that supports your answers to the PTQs, ECQs, and specialized experience. Your responses to the PTQs, ECQs, 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). Candidates who are evaluated by an executive rating panel based on the degree to which they meet the PTQs, ECQs, 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 the 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.