Duties

Summary

USPTO is modernizing its information technology to register intellectual property better, faster and cheaper through ML and AI. USPTO is migrating to a multi-hybrid cloud environment and is taking a zero trust architecture approach to enhance security. RPA is at the forefront of improving efficiencies across lines of business. We are looking for Cybersecurity professionals to join our agency and bring innovative approaches to Cybersecurity through emerging technology and automation.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This Vacancy is using the Direct-Hire authority to recruit for positions for which there is a critical hiring need. Using the Office of Personnel Management's approved government-wide direct hire authorities, agencies may appoint candidates directly to jobs, without regard to the provision of Title 5 U.S.C 3309 through 3318, for which OPM determines that there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need.

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary and Director on the application of information technology (IT) to support and improve the Agency's business processes. The Cybersecurity Division (CD) is responsible for all aspects of USPTO Information Technology security including the oversight for adherence to security-related laws and policies. This position is located in The CIO Cybersecurity Authorizations and Compliance Branch that provides services which support implementation and continuous monitoring for compliance with IT security policies, Federal Information Processing Standards, and requirements for all information technology used in support of the USPTO.

The individual selected for this position will...

• Monitoring IT systems and Tracks Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) progress of each system.
  
• Developing and maintaining cybersecurity metrics.
  
• Participating in implementing, improving, and managing Enterprise Governance and Risk Compliance (eGRC) tools.
  
• Conducting and participating in risk and vulnerability assessments for identifying vulnerabilities, risks, and protection needs.
  
• Expressing technical information to staff to assist with security problem issues.
  

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience and IT competencies.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

1

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM Website .

Specialized Experience:is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the federal service.

Candidates for the GS-11 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

1) Job experience assessing risks and vulnerabilities in an information technology (IT) systems.

2) Job experience tracking risk and vulnerabilities in an information technology (IT) systems.

OR

For the GS-11, you may qualify using one of the following options:

1) Possess a Ph.D or equivalent graduate degree, LL.B. or J.D., or 3 full yrs of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree.

2) Possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade in the Federal service.

3) Possess a combination of education and specialized experience to equal 100% of the qualification requirement.

Candidates for the GS-09 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

1) Job experience tracking risk and vulnerabilities in information technology (IT) systems.

OR

For the GS-09, you may qualify using one of the following options:

1) Possess a master's or equivalent graduate degree, LL.B. or J.D., or 2 full yrs of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

2) Possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade in the Federal service or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree.

3) Possess a combination of education and specialized experience to equal 100% of the qualification requirement.

In addition to meeting specialized experience requirements, you must have the following cybersecurity-related experience demonstrating these competencies:

• Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
• Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.

Education

Please see Qualification Section

If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.

You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - US Department of Education . Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

Applicants applying for this position must be a United States Citizen.

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

This is a non bargaining unit position.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate".

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website .

Probationary Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial one-year probationary period.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) will be eligible if they are assigned to the "well qualified" quality category under the category rating procedures. Information about CTAP/ICTAP may be found here: OPM CTAP/ICTAP . CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the ‘Required Documents' section of this announcement.

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.

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).

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), rating, ranking and veterans' preference does not apply; therefore, your responses to the questionnaire will not be used to determine a scored rating. All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration. While veterans' preference does not apply in DHA, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).

Applicants applying as CTAP or ICTAP candidates, and are determined CTAP or ICTAP eligible, must exceed the minimum qualification requirements to be referred under this selection priority placement program by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. For those deemed eligible and who meet the minimum qualifications, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). Your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles who are not determined well-qualified by scoring at least 85 will not be referred under the CTAP/ICTAP selection priority placement program; however, will be referred for selection consideration with other minimally qualified applicants. The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies, please do not provide a separate written response:

KSA 1: Knowledge of monitoring and evaluating systems' compliance with IT security requirements.

KSA 2: Knowledge of applying methods for evaluating, implementing, and disseminating IT security tools and procedures.

KSA 3: Skilled in analyzing the systems, networks, and data for vulnerabilities.

KSA 4: Skill in communication regarding technical subjects related to IT security-software and/or hardware.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

A complete application consists of:
1. A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications; optional cover letter: Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including job titles, salary, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, experience and how it relates to the specialized experience in the job announcement. Please Note: Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume.

2. Transcripts: (for Individual Occupational Requirements and/or Substitution of Education for specialized experience): You must submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable, however, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirements. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration.

Supporting Documentation:

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements for this position may be contacted within 7 business days of the closing date of this announcement to submit follow-up supporting documentation if applicable. Applicants CTAP/ICTAP eligibility who fail to submit supplemental documentation within 5 business days of receiving the request will not lose consideration for this position, however they will not be entitled to special or priority consideration.

Supporting documents that may be requested of applicants after the closing date of this announcement are:
1. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) documentation: Applicants will be asked to submit:
(1) A copy of your specific RIF notice, written notice of your expected separation or other documentation of priority consideration status; and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL etc.;
(2) A copy of your latest SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
(3) A copy of your last performance appraisal and rating; and
(4) Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

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.
OR
2) You can fax your documents to 571-258-4254 using the system generated fax cover sheet.

Your application and all required documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this job announcement.

NOTE: The preceding documentation requirements are based on job requirements and individual applicant eligibility. Not all documents are applicable to all applicants--if you are unsure which documents apply to you, contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement.

Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your rating. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.