Supervisory IT Specialist

Summary

Located within the USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), the incumbent serves as a Branch Chief, directing work in alignment with executive goals and agency expectations. Transition Support Branch (TSB) oversees agency wide IT communications, IT transition support, and AI knowledge management, supporting OCIO's delivery of IT products and services that drive U.S. innovation and global competitiveness for all Americans.

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.

We need your expertise if:

1. You thrive as a technical leader directing enterprise IT customer support and service desk operations, delivering reliable support for mission-critical systems, hardware, and software across the organization.
2. You're energized by advancing self-service and AI-enabled capabilities, applying industry-standard service management methodologies (such as KCS and ITIL) to strengthen ITSM processes, knowledge management, and operational efficiency.
3. You excel at communicating across the enterprise, formulating and disseminating IT information, relaying system status updates, and developing technical documentation to ensure accurate, consistent messaging during routine operations and urgent events.
4. You distinguish yourself by driving process improvement, identifying and implementing automation, standardization, and emerging technologies to enhance timely, reliable, and cost-effective service delivery.
5. You're passionate about leading and developing people, supervising technical staff by planning and assigning work, setting priorities, evaluating performance, resolving operational issues, and fostering an empowered, high-performing team.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Applications 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).
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Suitable for Federal Employment
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• You may be required to complete a one-year Supervisory probationary period.

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 Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210.

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, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience 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 applying industry-standard IT service management methodologies (such as Knowledge Centered Service and ITIL) to improve IT Service Management (ITSM) processes and self-service capabilities, including developing procedures, documentation and leveraging automated or AI-enabled tools and platforms to enhance service delivery and knowledge management AND;
• Experience formulating, coordinating, and disseminating IT information across an organization, including relaying system status updates, developing technical and support documentation, and coordinating with stakeholders to ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable communication in support of mission-critical operations AND;

• Experience providing technical leadership to IT staff, including coordinating, assigning, and reviewing work; serving as a technical resource; and leading project or operational activities to meet service delivery requirements and organizational objectives.

OR

• Experience exercising supervisory responsibilities over technical staff, including planning, directing, assigning, and reviewing work; setting priorities and schedules; evaluating performance; resolving operational issues; and providing guidance and direction to support organizational goals.

Basic Requirement Competencies: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the competencies, as defined:

1. Attention to Detail
2. Customer Service
3. Decision Making
4. Information Management
5. Interpersonal Skills
6. Oral Communication
7. Problem Solving
8. Teamwork
9. Technical Competency

In addition to the GS-2210 competency-based qualification competencies, applicants must demonstrate the following supervisory competencies to be successful in this position:

1. Accountability
2. Customer Service
3. Decisiveness
4. Flexibility
5. Integrity/Honesty
6. Interpersonal Skills
7. Oral Communication
8. Problem Solving:
9. Resilience
10. Written Communication

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

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

If 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.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate".

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.

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.

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.

Review our benefits

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.