Summary

The USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks oversees and has responsibility for all aspects of the Trademarks organization, including policy, operations, and budget relating to trademark examination, registration, and maintenance.  The Commissioner also serves as the primary Agency Official for Trademarks and interacts on a regular basis with a wide array of stakeholders domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a premier organization on the cutting-edge of national and international intellectual property issues, is seeking a high-performing, innovative executive leader to join as the Commissioner for Trademarks (Commissioner). The Commissioner will serve as an on-site executive at the Alexandria, Virginia Headquarters, responsible for leading the USPTO in building its strategic plan and goals and furthering the objectives outlined by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, concerning the Trademark community in the United States and around the world. The Commissioner is appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for a five-year term with an option for extension.

The United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) is looking for candidates with a passion for the mission of the agency and a deep level of experience in the practice and application of trademark law, policy, and procedure, to include experience with and/or understanding of the broader trademark ecosystems both here and abroad. 

Of equal importance is significant experience in leading and managing large and diverse teams.  As a fee-funded organization, the Trademarks unit operates like a private sector business unit within a larger organization, including issues such as revenue, expenditures, operational efficiency, quality, and customer service.  The associated annual budget is approximately $350 million with leadership of over 1000 employees across the United States.  Familiarity with the impact of information technology on business operations will also be helpful, as the Commissioner will be required to drive initiatives to modernize and stabilize the IT infrastructure and systems that support trademark filing and examination.

We are looking for a proven leader who can set a challenging vision and inspire action in others.  As the senior USPTO trademark representative, the ability to effectively collaborate and communicate with a broad range of both internal and external organizations and stakeholder groups is of great importance.  This individual needs to be a coalition-builder who can work on multiple levels with a wide variety of constituencies to implement programs and processes, and facilitate change.

How to Apply

You can choose one of the following methods to submit Supporting Documents: 1) you can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Department of Commerce application site, which you access through the USAJobs site: http://bit.ly/32gDXKF. Alternatively, 2) you can email your documents to Carolyn.Schad@uspto.gov.

NEED HELP? If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times. Alternatively, you can call Carolyn Schad at (571) 272-7003 or contact her by email at Carolyn.Schad@uspto.gov.