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We are seeking highly motivated professionals to join our team. If you want challenging work and a chance to make a big impact, come join us at the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Commerce! We improve the effectiveness of the Department's programs and operations. We also investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Department and those who do business with it.
Learn more about this agency05/22/2020 to 06/15/2020
$131,239 - $197,300 per year
SL 00
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
No
Permanent - Full-time
Full-Time
Excepted
00
No
Yes
DOC-OIG-2020-0058
569128100
U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.
As a Patent Attorney, you will:
*****There is ONE position available located in either Washington, DC or Alexandria, VA. Duty Station will be determined after selection.*****
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school.
AND
Be a current Bar member with the ABA, in good standing of any state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory.
AND
Possess professional legal/law experience, post J.D. or LL.M. within the federal government, a law firm or private industry.
AND
Mandatory Qualifications Requirements: To meet minimum qualifications, applicants must possess the following professional technical competencies. These competencies would typically be gained through experience, education, and training that reflects progressive development and achievement in advanced patent and trademark experience for a nationwide program or organization. An individual’s total experience and education must demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of the position.
A. Professional Technical Qualifications – All applicants must include a narrative statement showing how their knowledge and experience relates to the following professional technical qualifications. The narrative statement should not exceed two pages for each qualification.
PTQ 1: Describe your demonstrated advanced patent and trademark knowledge related to compliance with standards, statutory and case law, authoritative interpretation of legal precedents, and understanding concepts and techniques associated with the patent and trademark examination process.
PTQ 2: Describe your demonstrated ability to conduct audits, evaluations, special projects, and/or other work assignments associated with intellectual property and USPTO.
PTQ 3: Describe your demonstrated ability to meet and reach consensus on complex issues with individuals, groups, and high-level officials within and outside the agency, and the ability to appropriately support the position of the organization when disagreements occur.
IMPORTANT: Structure your PTQ statements in terms of actions you have taken, the context or environment in which the action was taken and the outcome or results of those actions (Challenge - Context - Action - Result (C-C-A-R) Model).
Challenge-Context-Action-Result Model
Challenge. Describe a specific problem or goal.
Context. Talk about the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to tackle a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
Action. Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
Result. Give specific examples of the results of your actions. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.
A. Successful completion of bachelor's degree with major in a scientific, technological or engineering degree that is pertinent to the position; AND
B. Possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school.
The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- Relocation expenses are NOT authorized.
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- A recruitment incentive may be offered.
- Student loan repayment may be offered.
- We offer opportunities for telework.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year trial period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
- File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas:
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, you will be evaluated by a panel of senior employees to determine the degree to which you possess the above Professional Technical Qualifications. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview and provide a writing sample or written assessment/exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position. References may also be checked after all assessment materials are reviewed.
If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.
A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, 3. Professional Technical Qualification responses, and 4. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans' preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, the applicant must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list of courses that includes the name of the accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and hours earned. The applicant’s official transcript(s) must be received prior to extension of a final job offer.
A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency, if you are selected. Refer to the OPM instructions.
Recommended Documents:
In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:
Current membership, in good standing, with the American Bar Association documentation.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
DOCOIG has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
DOCOIG provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to DOCOIG's CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service’s Go Government website.
1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "additional application information" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status. The "additional application information" link may not be available if your application status says "Unavailable." This indicates that your application is not complete.
If the "additional application information" link is not available and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to the CareerConnector portion of the application.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/569128100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Come work for the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Commerce! Commerce works with businesses, universities, communities, and the Nation's workers to promote job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved standards of living for Americans. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Commerce's programs and operations. The OIG also endeavors to detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the OIG has excellent work/life balance programs for its nearly 200 employees—including analysts, auditors, investigators, IT specialists, and attorneys—all dedicated to oversight and improvement of Commerce's programs.
