Summary
The USPTO drives U.S innovation for the benefit of all Americans and providing intellectual property protection for innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide. We are looking for talented individuals to examine ideas that benefit society and bring innovation to market. You'll shape the future of patent examination, advance key processes, and support innovation in cutting-edge ways.
Duties
The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required as this role includes onsite 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. Be part of history in the making - and help shape what's next. Learn how to become a patent examiner, explore the patent examiner disciplines crosswalk to find the areas that align best with your expertise, meet the people leading the way, and discover how you can use cutting-edge tools to protect breakthrough ideas. As a Patent Examiner, you will: Examine patent applications and help protect groundbreaking ideas. You will assess patent applications for new inventions, ensuring they meet our standards and determining if they are eligible for a patent. Early in your career, you will work closely with supervisors and senior examiners and receive extensive guidance and feedback as you develop your skills and evaluate your findings. You will explore Innovation in your review of patent applications. You will use specialized and cutting-edge technology to search prior art - information known publicly before the filing of a U.S. patent application - to determine whether inventions meet patentability standards and are eligible for a patent. Prepare clear and thoughtful office actions. You will draft written communications to applicant to convey your findings in detailed explanations of your examination decisions. You will discuss them with supervisors or senior examiners and refine your work based on feedback before issuing official communications. In addition, our Patent Examiner (Electrical Engineering) positions may offer a $30,000 recruitment bonus for new federal employees (with a 48-month service commitment). Employees will receive $10,000 after entrance on duty (EOD) and may be eligible for a 2nd installment of $20,000 after attaining promotion(s) to GS-12 within 36 months of EOD. Please review the relevant conflict of interest laws and standards of ethical conduct that may affect you as a patent examiner. Carefully review the conflict of interest laws and standards of ethical conduct, if you have an interest in any company that manufactures devices or markets processes covered by your technology area, you will be subject to a disqualification regarding all patent applications in the technology area unless the value is below $15,000 for any one company and less than $25,000 for all companies. If you are an attorney applicant, you must also be able to comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible professional responsibility conflicts in connection with your application. Further, as an employee of the USPTO you are restricted as to your interest in patents consistent with 35 U.S.C. 4. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity via email ([email protected]) or phone (571-272-8292).
Education
What are the work history and educational requirements for this position? Below are the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the Patent Examiner (Electrical Engineering) position. Please see OPM's information on the Engineering Individual Occupational Requirements. OPM's prescribed Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Patent Examiner Series, GS-1224, is available at OPM Patent Examiner Series 1224. If you are a student nearing graduation, within 9 months from the date of your applications, you can still apply! Just submit your application now, and we will verify your degree before your start date. Unless otherwise indicated by the school, 18 semester hours will be considered an academic year of graduate study. Education completed at foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualifications 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 coursework and the degree. A 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. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. If you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes: your name, name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. For documentation requirements, see the Required Documents section.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Your resume, optional cover letter, and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), rating, ranking and veterans' preference does not apply; therefore, your responses to the questionnaire will not be used to determine a scored rating. While veterans' preference does not apply in DHA, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.). OHR will review your resume and supporting documentation. All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, and successfully pass the USA Hire assessment will be referred for selection consideration. You may receive an invitation to provide responses to an on-demand interview through the HireVue platform. If referred, your on-demand interview and application will reviewed by the hiring manager for consideration. An interview does not guarantee selection. The USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments will evaluate you on the following competencies; Please do not provide a separate written response. Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. Applicants will be required to certify that they are using their own words, and did not use a consultant or SI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question. To preview the questionnaire please click the link below: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052769 Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. An HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those applicants eligible to be referred to the hiring official.