Supervisory Attorney-Adviser (Trademark)

DutiesThe physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria,Virginia.This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy.Major Duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:You're ready to perform a variety of legal activities regarding federal law and international treaties related to the federal trademark registration system, with a focus on trademark examination and register protection matters, including rules of practice in trademark cases and representation of others before the USPTO, in ex parte TMA proceedings, in ex parte and inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and rulemaking requirementsYou're excited to make recommendations for and draft proposals and policy initiatives to accomplish established objectives in the area of trademark law, and in particular substantive and procedural examination practice in trademark applications and registrations and in review of maintenance submissions in trademark registrations.You're eager to organize and coordinate staff duties to promote efficient operations for the RPO team, including assigning work to staff, setting and adjusting short-term priorities and preparing schedules for completion of work.You're willing to render legal policy advice and guidance, technical assistance and analysis concerning substantive and procedural examination, trademark laws and treaties in collaborative international projects with national and regional trademark offices, and in international organizations related to register protection.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentApplicants will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.You must meet the definition of specialized experience.Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.If selected, you may be required to complete a one-year Supervisory trial period.You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.This position requires the completion of OF-450 Financial Disclosure. Qualifications The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, the USPTO sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications in each vacancy announcement. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-14.Specialized experience is defined as: Interpreting and providing technical advice and guidance on trademark law, regulations, practices and procedures as well as international treaties including the Paris Convention, Nice Agreement and Madrid Protocol; Possessing expert knowledge of trademark examination policies and procedures, rules of practice relating to representation of others before the agency, and the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure; Ability to analyze, evaluate and take into account the objectives of senior agency leadership in developing necessary policy, procedure and guidelines for implementing legislative, judicial, rulemaking, procedural and international treaty changes; Preparing a variety of legal documents, i.e., proposals, analyses, reports, briefs, opinions, agreements, guides, policies, procedures, and decisions in matters related to register protection; Utilizing appropriate agency staff to retrieve, analyze, and archive appropriate information and resources of a legislative, regulatory or programmatic nature; and leading a team of employees to complete a significant project within established timelines related to Trademark operations. AND Candidates for the GS-15 grade level must have at least three (3) years of the professional law/legal experience defined below. Professional law/legal experience is post-J.D./LL.M. legal experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. This experience is characterized by breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters failing within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organizations; preparing interpretive and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; conducting investigations to obtain facts; determining questions of law; and studying, analyzing and evaluating legal precedents to present findings. 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. EducationTo meet minimum eligibility requirements for this position, applicants must possess at least a Masters of Laws (L.L.M.) degree or Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA accredited law school.Additional informationIf 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. If selected for this position, you may be required to complete the Fair Credit Act Memo, which gives consent so that one or more consumer credit reports may be obtained for employment purposes. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "HIGH".Financial disclosure statement (OGE Form 450) is required for this position. For more information, please visit OGE.Supervisory Trial Period- If selected, you may be required to complete a one year supervisory trial period. 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 the Department of Homeland Security Website. All 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.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. All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at USPTO Reason 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 (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. Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration. Preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate possession of any specialized experience and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume. Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions, or your score may be adjusted or lowered accordingly which may affect your overall final rating. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official, due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. 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 click the link below to preview the Assessment Questionnaire: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).