Summary

This position is located in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA), Policy-Trademarks. The incumbent serves as a technical and legal analyst and advisor within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the field of domestic and international intellectual property rights protection in regard to trademark, domain name, and geographical indications (GI) matters.

Duties

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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. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year.

This rewarding opportunity is ideal for you if:

• You are eager to provide technical advice on such legislative proposals or policy initiatives advocated by other agencies in the Executive Branch.
• You are able to perform a variety of legal activities regarding legislation and the legal impact on intellectual property matters, agency policy, strategic planning, international treaty obligations and agreements, and the USPTO, Department of Commerce, and various stakeholders.
• You possess the ability to make recommendations and draft legislative proposals which have a significant impact upon a variety of industries and representing the United States in international negotiations.
• You are excited to prepare briefing materials, papers, analyses, and testimony, as needed for the Under Secretary and other senior officials and agency officials with respect to legislative items or policy initiatives on which the agency is requested to testify.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Applicants 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.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year 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.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must obtain and maintain Secret security clearance.

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 Attorney Series 0905.

Specialized Experienceis 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.

GS-14: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-13.

Specialized experience for the GS-14 includes:

• Experience examining or prosecuting U.S. trademark applications; AND
• Experience preparing briefing materials, papers, analyses, and testimony; AND
• Experience researching and writing on legal policy matters.

GS-15: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-14.

Specialized experience for the GS-15 includes:

• Experience leading the examination or prosecuting U.S. trademark applications; AND
• Experience leading research and writing on legal policy matters; AND
• Experience preparing policy position papers, analyses, testimony, and briefing materials for senior managers.

Professional Legal Experience:

In addition to the required specialized experience, applicants must possess the following professional law/legal experience listed below:

• GS-14: 3 years of professional legal experience, post JD.
• GS-15: 4 years of professional legal experience, post JD.

Professional Legal/Law Experience is defined as having experience including judicial clerkship(s), in the area of Trademark procurement/examination, litigation and/or counseling. Trademark litigation includes federal district court trademark cases, trademark appeals to the U.S. federal courts of appeal, and trial proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. 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

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.

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.

Education

To meet minimum eligibility requirements for this position, applicants must possess at least a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA accredited law school.

If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualification Policies for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

This is a Bargaining Unit position.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "Non/Sensitive Moderate Risk".

Financial disclosure statement (OGE Form 450) is required for this position. For more information, please visit www.OGE.gov.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.

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Eligibility 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.