Duties

• You will provide the full range of patent and technology transfer legal advice and services to Naval Medical Research Center clients.
• You will serve as a patent attorney within a component of Office of the General Counsel of the Navy (OGC).
• You will apply expertise in one or more of the technical disciplines of science or engineering to provide, or ensure the provision of, legal advice and guidance on a wide range of patent issues, from basic to more complex or advanced patent concerns.

The NRMC Office of Counsel consists of a paralegal and three attorneys, including the patent Attorney, who reports to the NMRC Counsel. This is a senior position that will be filled at the GS-13/14/15 level.

NMRC is located with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the Innoye Building at the U.S. Army Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is situated between Brooksville Road and Linden Lane. The location is near to Silver Spring and Bethesda, Md. shops, restaurants, entertainment and major highway access. The NMRC is a premier research organization with a network of eight laboratories located throughout the United States and around the world providing operationally relevant health and medical research solutions supporting the operational forces. Research focuses on the following areas: biological defense; infectious diseases; combat casualty care; dental and biomedical research; environmental health; aerospace medicine; undersea medicine; medical modeling, simulation and mission support; warfighter performance; and epidemiology and behavioral sciences. The R&D enterprise has over 1500 employees including researchers, physician- scientists, technicians, administrators and support personnel all dedicated to accomplishing NMRC's mission, vision and strategic goals. Specifically, legal matters supported by the Office of Counsel include intellectual property, technology transfer, fiscal law, civilian personnel law, ethics and standards of conduct, work for private parties, and associated litigation matters."

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Per the preliminary nationwide injunction on E.O. 14043, COVID-19 vaccinations will not be implemented or enforced. For more information on vaccine status and workplace safety protocol requirements see Additional Information below.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of appointment.

Qualifications

This position has a full performance level of GS-15, but will be filled at the GS-13, GS-14 or GS-15 grade level. Grade and pay will be set commensurate with the successful applicant's qualifications, funding availability, and General Schedule (GS) pay setting guidelines. To be eligible for selection at the GS-13 level, the applicant must demonstrate more than of two years of recent, substantial, and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the GS-14 level, the successful candidate must demonstrate a minimum of three and one- half years of recent, substantial, and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the GS-15 level, the applicant must have at least five and one-half years of recent, substantial, and relevant professional legal experience. Candidates should carefully consider whether they meet the legal experience requirements for this position before applying. An individual that has multiple years of experience as a patent examiner or patent agent may not necessarily meet the minimum years of relevant recent legal experience required at the GS-13 through GS-15 level, as stated above. Additionally, the applicant must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent training in: biology; chemistry; immunology, cell biology, medical or biomedical physics; biomedical engineering; or biochemistry, or a related field and the applicant must also have either an advanced degree (at least at the Master's degree level) in a biological; biochemical; chemical; biomedical; or bioengineering field of study from an accredited college or university or at least five years of experience as a research scientist.

Applicants will be evaluated on: 1) the depth, breadth, and quality of their experience in intellectual property law and other legal areas supported by this position as identified above; 2) oral communication and interpersonal skills; 3) analytical, research and writing skills; 4) ability to work effectively and establish relationships with clients and to work independently or as part of a team; and, 5) ability to respond quickly, accurately, and creatively in a fast-paced environment. Previous experience providing legal review of technology transfer agreements is desired. A doctoral degree in: biology; chemistry; immunology, cell biology, medical or biomedical physics; biomedical engineering; or biochemistry, or a related field is a plus. Applicants with a record of making significant contributions to the advancement of the DON OGC or equivalent Office of the General Counsel or Law Firm/Office beyond the day-to-day legal practice are desired.

The successful applicant must have graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia; be admitted to practice before a state or federal court; and be admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. U.S. Citizenship is a requirement of the position, and the successful applicant must be able to obtain and maintain a SECRET level security clearance. Occasionally travel may be required.

Applicants must submit: 1) a resume; 2) a cover letter that addresses the evaluation criteria for this position, their interest in the position, and the minimum grade level that they are willing to accept; 3) two recent and relevant legal writing samples (no more than 10 pages each) (excerpts of larger pieces may be submitted); 4) the two most recent performance appraisals with rating official narrative, if available; 5) the names and phone numbers of at least three references who may be contacted; 6) for applicants who have graduated from law school less than 5 years prior to the announcement closing date, a copy of their law school transcript and identify the date of graduation; and, 7) for all current federal employees, a copy of their most recent SF-50 form. Please redact social security numbers from any submitted documents.

Additional information

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF-15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov .)

Not all veterans are preference eligible. For a summary of time periods, campaigns, and conditions that entitle an applicant to preference eligibility, please visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/index.aspx , https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans , and see the Veterans' Preference Advisor, operated by the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/elaws/vets/vetpref/vetspref.htm .

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or 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 factor.

If relocation expenses are a requirement, the applicant should state their requirement for this expense in the application package. Relocation expenses may be paid, but are not guaranteed.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) funding may be available to those eligible.