Supervisory Copyright Specialist (Registration)

Supervisory Copyright Specialist (Registration)

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Literary DIvision, Office of Registration Policy & Practice, Copyright Office. The position description number for this position is 085506. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. This is a Supervisory, non-bargaining unit position. Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Major Duties:

• Manages a group of employees engaged in work at the GS-12 level and below, and provides technical guidance and supervision appropriate for completing the unit's work. Performs the administrative and supervisory functions related to supervising the staff. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff and clearly communicates using the formal employee performance management system. Evaluates workers' performance and conducts work performance critiques. Gives informal feedback and at regular intervals evaluates employee performance. Resolves informal complaints and grievances. Drafts work improvement plans, recommends personnel actions as appropriate. Gives advice to workers concerning work and administrative matters. Evaluates and initiates appropriate disciplinary measures consistent with delegated authority. Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests, time and attendance. Ensures subordinates receive training and fully comply with the safety and security provisions and regulations, and Copyright Office and Library Directives. Advances equal employment opportunity (EEO) objectives by taking affirmative steps to ensure affirmative action objectives are met and nondiscriminatory employment practices related to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability are adhered to. Introduces nondiscriminatory practices and diversity enhancing measures for the unit under his/her supervision in the following: (1) merit promotion of staff and recruitment and hiring of applicants; (2) equitable treatment of all employees; (3) encourage and recognize employee achievements;(4) career development of staff; and (5) maximum utilization of employee skills. May serve as a spokesperson for the Copyright Office registration function, as delegated, to explain copyright law and/or copyright regulations related to the registration process. Serves as an expert on matters related to Copyright Office registration systems, policies, and procedures, and works with other Library offices and departments. Monitors automation activities related to registration. Plans, conducts and directs registration research studies related to claims. Decides whether complicated or unique claims submitted are registerable. Reviews and prepares statements of opinion concerning appeals for rejected claims, and proposes recommendations to increase the rate of registered claims. Independently replies to inquiries concerning complex and unusual copyright registration issues and makes sure information is communicated professionally. Evaluates all types of claims handled by the area for copyrightability. Communicates in writing the results of review and evaluation including explaining rejections or cautionary statements. As appropriate, engages in in-depth research as necessary prior to responding. As an expert, provides technical advice to division staff. Answers difficult technical inquires related to registration (where applicable). Serves as a technical resource expert on complex cases including those involving difficult copyrightable judgments, multiple interconnected problems and interactions of legal issues and precedents. Consults the top management on the most difficult issues and problems, and conducts copyright studies to analyze current and proposed practices and processes, and recommends changes in work procedures and practices impacting the division. Makes determinations concerning selection for Library collection materials. Grants or denies special relief based on guidelines and practices. In consult with supervisor, may rule upon cases setting precedent, and which may directly challenge the policies and authority of the Office. Working jointly with top management, ensures uniform application of practices, and procedures. Collects, compiles, and maintains information on copyright practices across functional and subject matter areas. Coordinates division and work unit registration activities with other areas, and handles or counsels staff on how to handle the most complex cases in the division. Serves as a liaison across the three divisions and division work units in issues concerning subject matter or functional specialty. Examines trends and problems and makes recommendations to improve reliability of practices. Comprehensively evaluates various operational functions within the division to monitor progress toward goals and objectives. Recommends changing policies or procedures, as necessary.

Qualifications: Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Ability to supervise and/or lead and develop a diverse workforce.** Ability to provide program management, evaluation, and oversight.** Ability to exercise judgement and discretion. Knowledge of Copyright Registration laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.** Ability to perform copyright registration related work.** Ability to communicate in writing. Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

How to Apply: Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. (1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement. (2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-15