Writer-Editor (Senior)

Writer-Editor (Senior)

Department: Department of Commerce

Location(s): Alexandria, Virginia

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Office of the Under Secretary and Director (OUS), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The OUS supports the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of USPTO on all intellectual property policy matters. The Senior Writer-Editor will perform strategic writing and editing work related to USPTO correspondence, documents and other written material which may cover complex or controversial subject matters.

Major Duties:

• The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy. This rewarding career role is ideal for you if: You're interested in collaborating with the Under Secretary/Deputy Under Secretary, their top advisors, and Business Unit management officials to collect, organize, and prioritize information for use in 1) drafting speeches, 2) collaborating on specialized reports, 3) managing the vetting of reports with key USPTO managers and stakeholders for review and concurrence, and 4) preparing finalized documents for publication and distribution. You're interested in coordinating with the Office of the Chief Communications Officer (OCCO) in composing general messages to all USPTO employees on behalf of the Under Secretary. You can provide assistance to other Business Units with editing and coordinating presentations and handouts and clearing publications. You're a detail-oriented individual who can serve as Senior Writer and Editor for ground-breaking materials of various types, including speeches, whose subject matter covers the policies, programs, and activities of the USPTO. This includes subjects which are controversial or difficult to communicate because they are technical, are intended to convey esoteric ideas, or are unusually complex. You can perform extensive research to acquire, analyze, and prepare written material, including speeches, associated with major USPTO programs, projects, initiatives, and accomplishments.

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 Administrative and Management Positions 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-13. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience in serving as a writer to include researching, planning, developing, and editing written materials for a variety of audiences; Experience in ensuring that all written materials are consistent and compliant with established standards of style, format, and tone; Experience in developing and implementing new written communication approaches and methods in order to enhance the public's understanding of complex programs, legal information, and important initiatives; and Experience in preparing finalized documents for publication and distribution. 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: This vacancy is also being announced under the USPTO's delegated examining procedures for non-status applicants under Job Announcement Number TMCO-OUSD-26-12858990-DE. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible for consideration under that announcement. 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: 2026-01-23