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The Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property seeks a patent attorney to perform advanced legal functions to protect the Government's interest in DOE-funded intellectual property, including providing counsel on research and technology security, such as export control, and conducting patent prosecution at all stages, as well as related negotiation, litigation and regulatory activities.
05/05/2023 to 05/26/2023
$112,015 - $183,500 per year
GS 13 - 15
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
15
No
Yes
23-GC-00321-11952159-EX
724071900
All U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior Federal experience is required.
Oversees and participates in evaluating the relative importance of patentable work arising under DOE sponsored contracts through conferences with project leaders, DOE technical representatives and researchers; examines reports, experimental results and on-site inspections; determines action to be taken by DOE including having access to classified information; and evaluates matters of sensitivity with regard to research, technology and economic security (RTES), applying export control and secrecy order laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
Conducts analyses and negotiations of patent, intellectual property and technology transfer matters/cases, many of which involve amounts in excess of $1,000,000, with universities, other government entities and industry, including many major U.S. business firms and corporations.
Supports research, technology and economic security (RTES) activities, including those relating to patentable technologies and patentable critical and emerging technology activities, including the development of risk rubrics and potential risk mitigations related to intellectual property or data for informing risk decisions related to patents, inventions and other RTES impacts. Supports development of risk-based RTES policies, procedures and implementation mechanisms consistent with legal requirements. Coordinates with experts and agency Offices on foreign ownership, control, and influence issues in laboratory, financial assistance, and loan programs, most specifically as it relates to technology, patentable inventions, and related export controls.
Reviews and negotiates requests to modify U.S. manufacturing requirements applicable to DOE-funded intellectual property in coordination with DOE funding programs.
Oversees prior art searches in the Patent Trademark Office (PTO) on disclosures submitted by the Field Patent Counsels and contractors in a broad spectrum of technologies, including clean energy technologies, nuclear fuel compositions and methods of making, fuel cell compositions, target materials for laser fusion, polymers useful in the tertiary recovery of oil, radionuclear pharmaceuticals useful in detecting cancer, etc.
Provides legal advice to the Assistant General Counsel for TT&IP on proposed legislation, Department directives, proposed regulations, rulings, and interpretations which are sensitive in nature or which may affect pending or anticipated litigation.
Oversees and manages complex interferences to represent DOE in disputes before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to determine the patent rights for commercially valuable inventions primarily in the area of energy technologies, including nuclear reactor fuel elements and compositions, radionuclear pharmaceuticals, atomic vapor laser isotope separation, photopolymers, etc.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
GS-15 Qualifications:
GS-14 Qualifications:
GS-13 Qualifications:
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
Attorney positions do have an education requirement.
ALL Candidates must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association with a:
For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit:
The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your evaluation involves determining the relevance and quality of your experience and education and whether you meet the minimum qualifications as required. You will be evaluated for this job based on the qualifications above, your Writing Sample that shows your knowledge level and ability to put that into words showing your technical abilities, and your Cover Letter (no more than 3 pages) that describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience. When describing your experience, please give examples that demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of the people with whom you interacted, and the sensitivity of the issues you handled. Describe your applicable experience, if any, that touches on the following range of tasks:
Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. You will be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible.
Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.
Please note that if you fail to 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).
RESUME WITH 3 REFERENCES: This can be done by either creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of your choosing. Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position.
COVER LETTER: This should be no more than 3 pagesthat describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience.
WRITING SAMPLE: A writing sample should besufficiently complex in nature to demonstrate the applicant's skills in the qualifications of this position.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you may provide a DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active-duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP: You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial law school transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements of this position. 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. Refer to the OPM instructions.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP) / INTER AGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP): If applicable this would include Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: If this is applicable, please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the hiring manager and HR office.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/
If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots, if possible, to aid technical support.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated.
You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings.
You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.
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/724071900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The General Counsel is charged by the Secretary of Energy with the authority to determine the Department's authoritative position on any question of law. The Office of the General Counsel provides legal advice, counsel, and support to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, and program offices throughout DOE to further the Department's mission of advancing the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
The Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property (TT&IP) formulates DOE patent policy and programs, represents DOE's interests in intellectual property matters, including patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, and related issues, particularly research security and export control, drafting and administering DOE regulations pertaining to intellectual property, and conducting related litigation.
