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Elevate your career at an agency that celebrates, supports, and thrives on building the bridge that ensures intellectual property (IP) rights are accessible to everyone. The USPTO is a diverse and inclusive organization that is seeking a talented professional to serve as an Administrative Patent Judge. The USPTO has been serving the economic interests of America for more than 200 years. We are responsible for granting US intellectual property rights for patents and trademarks.
Learn more about this agency11/23/2022 to 02/14/2023
$152,402 - $187,300 per year
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Few vacancies in the following locations:
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EXRD - PTAB-22-11612904
690925500
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens and Nationals. This is a non-bargaining position. More than one position may be filled.
As an APJ you will serve as an esteemed member of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the USPTO. The PTAB has the authority to:
To be eligible for the APJ position, you must demonstrate that you meet the qualifications for this position by submitting a resume, narrative responses to the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs), proof of educational requirements, and a writing sample. Applicants are required to input narrative responses to PTQs and writing sample in the textboxes as prompted by USAJobs. Uploading documents addressing the PTQs and writing sample will not be accepted.
Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs): You are required to submit a narrative response (10,000 character limit (to include spaces)) that demonstrate extensive and comprehensive experience with the following:
The Writing Sample: Please respond to the following 3 questions using your own words, unedited by others. Each response should be up to 7000 characters (to include spaces).
You must provide at least one of the following as proof of fulfillment of the requisite education requirement, as described in the general requirements for admission to practice in patent cases before the USPTO available at https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OED_GRB.pdf (General Requirements):
A. Possess a Bachelor's degree, Master's Degree, or Doctor of Philosophy Degree (referred to as "degree(s)") in a Recognized Technical Subject.
Applicant must establish possession of the necessary scientific and technical training by providing a transcript showing that a degree was awarded in one of the following subjects by an accredited U.S. college or university, or that the equivalent was awarded by a foreign university in one of the following subjects:
1. Engineering (Eng.) Physics 2. Environmental Eng. 3.Gen. Eng. 4. Genetic Eng. 5. Geological Eng. 6. Industrial Eng. 7. Marine Eng. 8. Materials Eng. 9. Mechanical Eng. 10. Metallurgical Eng. 11. Mining Eng. 12. Nuclear Eng. 13. Ocean Eng. 14. Petroleum Eng. 15. Textile Eng. 16. Biology 17. Biochemistry 18. Biological Science 19. Biophysics 20. Botany 21. Computer Science* 22. Electronics Technology 23. Food Technology 24. General Chemistry 25. Genetics 26. Marine Technology 27. Materials Science 28. Microbiology 29. Molecular Biology 30. Neuroscience 31. Organic Chemistry 32. Pharmacology 33. Physics 34. Textile Technology 35. Aerospace Eng. 36. Aeronautical Eng. 37. Agricultural Eng. 38. Bioengineering 39. Biomedical Eng. 40. Ceramic Eng. 41. Chemical Eng. 42. Civil Eng. 43. Computer Eng. 44. Electrical Eng. 45. Electrochemical Eng. 46. Electronics Eng.
*For more information regarding acceptable Computer Science degree visit https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OED_GRB.pdf.
Degrees In Other Subjects: Applicant with a degree in a subject not listed above, such as Pharmacy, Mechanical Technology, or a Computer Science degree from an institution that was not accredited by the CSAC of the CSAB or by the CAC of ABET on or before the date the degree was awarded must establish Applicant possesses the necessary scientific and technical training under either sections B or C below.
OR
B. Possess a Degree in Another Subject other than degree listed in section A.
Applicant must establish possession of scientific and technical training equivalent to that received at an accredited U.S. college or university for a degree in one of the subjects listed in section A. To establish such equivalence, applicant can satisfy one of the following four options, other training, or other education listed below. Applicant must submit the necessary documentation and objective evidence showing satisfaction of one of the options or other means of qualifying.
Option 1: 24 semester hours in physics. Only physics courses for physics majors will be accepted.
Option 2: 32 semester hours in a combination consisting of the following: 8 semester hours in a combination of chemistry and physics, with at least one course including a lab, and 24 semester hours in biology, botany, microbiology, or molecular biology. Only courses for science or engineering majors will be accepted.
Option 3: 30 semester hours in chemistry. Only chemistry courses for chemistry majors will be accepted.
Option 4: 40 semester hours in a combination consisting of the following: 8 semester hours in a combination of chemistry, physics, and/or biology, with at least one course including a lab, and 32 semester hours of chemistry, physics, biology, botany, microbiology, molecular biology, or engineering. Only courses for science or engineering majors will be accepted. For Computer Science, see other "Other Acceptable Course Work".
All acceptable coursework for Options 2 and 4 must be for science or engineering majors.
OR
C. Applicant relying on practical engineering or scientific experience or who does not qualify undersection A or B above may establish the required technical training by demonstrating applicant has passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) test. Applicant attempting to qualify under this section must submit a transcript showing the award of a Bachelor's degree.
OR
D. Provide evidence that applicant has successfully passed the USPTO registration exam.
Evidence includes a copy of the notice stating that you passed the examination from the USPTO.
AND
E. Proof of successful completion of a law degree (minimum: J.D. or equivalent).
AND
F. Proof of active membership of the Bar of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory, in good standing. In addition to the education requirement, applicants must also meet the specialized experience.
The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website.
If selected, you will be required to complete a two-year trial period.
All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
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.
USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation.
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 pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, 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 & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your resume, narrative responses to the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs), writing sample, and supporting documentation will be evaluated and rated for required competencies and specialized experience by a panel via federal government selection procedures. Criteria for evaluation includes:
Candidates placed in the highest-quality category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.
You should submit the following documents for a complete application by the closing date of this job announcement:
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.
This vacancy is also being announced under the USPTO's Merit Promotion as Job Announcement Number EXRD - PTAB-23-11713393. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible for consideration under that announcement.
******If you are currently, or have been within the last five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information in your application.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.
Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application.
You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." The four points of notification are:
1. Application Received or Application Incomplete;
2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Requirement Not Met;
3. Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Eligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official); and
4. Selected or Not Selected
After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and you may be contacted for follow-up supplemental documentation. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide any supplemental documents or information requested by the Office of Human Resources within the allocated timeframes.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the "Notification Settings" to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
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/690925500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a diverse and inclusive organization dealing with intellectual property (IP) issues, is seeking talented individuals to serve as Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) to decide appeals from adverse decisions of patent examiners and to conduct trials in America Invents Act (AIA) post-grant proceedings. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) has over 200 APJs from diverse backgrounds who uphold IP laws and support the USPTO's mission of advancing innovation that changes the world. In particular, APJs determine facts and evaluate arguments, and objectively render decisions resolving procedural and patentability disputes in a collegial and collaborative atmosphere. Additionally, APJs have opportunities to participate in various programs and committees in support of the Board's mission to be transparent, equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
To learn more about "Who we are" as America's Innovation agency, click here: Who we are | USPTO. To learn more information specifically about the PTAB, click here: https://www.uspto.gov/patents-application-process/patenttrialandappealboard .
