Patent Examination Policy Advisor

Patent Examination Policy Advisor

Department: Department of Commerce

Location(s): Alexandria, Virginia

Salary Range: $183257 - $197200 Per Year

Job Summary: Are you up for an exciting challenge to work with the Office of Patent and Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner who oversees the Office of Patent LegaI Administration (OPLA). The incumbent will provide leadership and direction for a broad range of coordinated Patent Examination Policy programs that focuses on critical mission-related activities and issues. This includes planning, implementing, managing and evaluating all aspects of patent examination policy.

Major Duties:

• 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. This position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The individual selected for this position will be... Applying comprehensive knowledge of applicable intellectual property laws, examination guidelines, and rules of practice and procedure. Performing comprehensive, in-depth reviews and analyses of complex individual intellectual property applications or systemic components of the examination process. Developing, formulating, and implementing new or revised examination regulations, practices, and procedures by drafting regulatory and other public notices, circulating internal memoranda, creating training materials, and updating forms and standardized guidance. Providing staff assistance to senior patent leadership formulating and guiding patent practice and policy and coordinating stakeholder outreach, impact analysis, and implementation planning. Delivering briefings and presentations to organizational leaders, examiners, and external stakeholders-including practitioners and independent inventors-on legal and procedural updates, policy changes, and program initiatives to support consistent, informed practice. Drafting documents; including presentations, policy memoranda, public notices, and rulemaking packages-and delivering them to organizational leaders, technical examiners, and external stakeholders for review, consideration, and, where appropriate, public comment.

Qualifications: You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at General Schedule Qualification Standards OPM's prescribed Individual Occupational Requirements for Patent Examining Series 1224 are available at Patent Examining Series 1224 Experience in electrical technologies and/or computer practice preferred. BASIC REQUIREMENTS for all grade levels in this series include: A) (1) successfully completed a full four-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering, OR (2) a combination of qualifying education and experience. This can be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration--Current registration as a professional engineer by any state, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Written test--Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration, administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in various states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Specified academic courses--Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and including the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A. Related curriculum--Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field (for example, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology) may be accepted in lieu of an engineering degree, provided the applicant has had at least one year of professional engineering experience with professional engineering supervision and guidance. The curriculum must: Be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum. OR Include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating to particle and aggregate structure to properties); or (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR B) A combination of education and experience. This combination of college-level education, training, and/or technical experience must have furnished both: a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering; AND a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their application to professional engineering. Applicants must also meet the additional requirements listed below. 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 for this position includes: Applying advanced engineering, scientific, and practical principles and methodologies to examine patent applications, assess patentability, and identify key issues; AND Interpreting and using administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents relevant to patent prosecution, reexamination, and reissue proceedings; AND Analyzing complex technical, factual, and legal matters to assess economic and technological impacts on major industries. 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.

How to Apply: You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement. If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application." If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance. All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Personally Identifiable Information (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. Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-25