Duties

Summary

The USPTO is a fully user fee-funded organization with an annual budget in excess of $3 billion and approximately 13,000 employees comprised largely of engineers, scientists, and attorneys. As the agency's Chief Corporate Communications Officer, the incumbent's primary objective is to ensure effective communication with agency stakeholders in order to articulate the missions and priorities of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer oversees the complete portfolio of communication activities of the USPTO. The incumbent will lead the execution of all agency corporate messaging, outreach, marketing and positioning across the agency to maintain and leverage a presence in areas of paid, earned, owned and shared media. Further, the incumbent will lead the implementation of innovative brand strategies that serve to both activate and elevate the agency's brand in key audience segments; and build an engaged and supportive stakeholder community.

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer is also responsible for the following:

• Implementing an integrated strategic communications plan that advances the USPTO's brand identity; broadens awareness of its programs and priorities; and increases the visibility of its programs across key stakeholder audiences;
• Overseeing the OCCO staff in executing marketing/public relations strategies that will allow the agency to cultivate and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external stakeholders, including the media and key influencers;
• Working with the leadership team and staff to recognize internal and external communications opportunities and solutions, and define and execute appropriate strategies to support them;
• Providing day-to-day administrative oversight of the Office of the Chief Communications Officer and the staff assigned to the Office, identifying and allocating resource needs, initiating programs consistent with the priorities and goals of the Agency, communicating Agency policies and decisions, participating in activities which promote the goals of the USPTO and supporting improvement programs as needed;
• Identifying and sharing meaningful key performance measures and metrics that are aligned with the agency strategic goals, continuously assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and priorities of communication and outreach activities and programs;
• Advising the Under Secretary through the Chief Communications Officer on matters of immediate interest and concern, and on developments which warrant the Under Secretary's cognizance and affect the direction of USPTO for planning purposes;
• Keeping abreast of items of interest to the Under Secretary, including internal USPTO developments, White House position statements, the status of legislation, and major USPTO activities reported to the public and private sectors;
• Developing recommendations for the Chief Communications Officer on effective media and communication strategies and oversees speech writing and public outreach efforts;
• Preparing, coordinating, and recommending to the Chief Communications Officer necessary press briefing material for the Under Secretary and other officials of the USPTO; and
• Overseeing museum services and is primarily responsible for the USPTO's web presence.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional Travel may be required.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• PTQs must be addressed in narrative form when prompted by the system.
• ECQs must be addressed in narrative form when prompted by the system.
• Must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• You must use the USAJobs text boxes when submitting your PTQs and ECQs.
• Be willing to relocate to the Washington, DC metro region.

You must be a U.S. citizen to qualify for this position. You will need to successfully complete a background security investigation before you can be appointed into this position. You may be required to serve on a one year probationary period. You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Report (SF-278) upon appointment.

Qualifications

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.

*Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ and each ECQ have a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) and must be adhered to.

*Applicants must use the USA Jobs text boxes for submitting their PTQs and ECQs.

Professional Technical Qualifications: Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess technical attributes in the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs).

The PTQs for this position are:

Expert knowledge and experience in communications, including stakeholder outreach, education, national partnerships and development. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of how to support, facilitate, coordinate and lead high-level engagements with community leaders and Intellectual Property stakeholders at the local, state and Federal levels, providing resources, information, programs and services that benefit and encourage growth of our innovation-based economy.

Demonstrated experience with program and administrative management. Demonstrated abilities to establish and maintain positive working relationships with others and in teams working toward common goals. Demonstrated abilities to resolve conflicts. Excellent communication skills in keeping leadership informed as issues arise and higher-level decisions are needed.

Knowledge of the scientific, technical and legal matters with the patent and trademark processes, which may include knowledge of the preparation and/or prosecution of applications, classification, or comparable knowledge in the patent and/or trademark fields.

Please Note: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM, only need to submit a resume and narrative statement covering each of the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) requirements and do NOT need to address the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

For the following five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications. Please provide narrative responses when prompted by the system. Be sure to provide specific examples of what you've done that demonstrates your possession of each ECQ. For more information about the Executive Core Qualifications please visit this site: : https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf

Leading Change - This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

Leading People - This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

Results Driven - This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems and calculating risks.

Business Acumen - This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically.

Building Coalitions- This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

Note: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQ's and ECQs will not be accepted.

Education

Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications (PTQs) and executive core qualifications (ECQs) set forth within the Qualifications section of the vacancy.

Additional information

Probationary Period: You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period unless you previously completed the probationary period in the SES.

Mobility: Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders and generally is a key to advancement. Therefore, applicants are expected to be mobile and once appointed SES members may be reassigned at the discretion of the appointing authority.

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" risk.

The incumbent may be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and, if appointed, the incumbent will be subjected to random drug testing procedures.

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 http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

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

Relocation expenses and recruitment incentives may be authorized.

Veteran preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.

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.

The Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended, requires senior officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches to file public reports of their finances as well as other interests outside the Government. If selected for this position you will be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278). The OGE 278 is available to the public. The primary purpose of disclosure is to assist agencies in identifying potential conflicts of interest between a filer's official duties and the filer's private financial interests and affiliations.

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.

Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess managerial attributes in the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs). Each response should include a brief summary of the applicant's experience in relation to the specific PTQ and specific examples of accomplishments. Applicants must also clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess managerial attributes in the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Each response should include a brief summary of the applicant's experience in relation to the specific ECQ and specific examples of accomplishments.

• Resume - Applicants have the option of including a USAJobs system generated resume or uploading a resume in PDF.
• Narrative Responses - Please provide your narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) questions - Do not write "see resume". Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs.

*Each PTQ and each ECQ have a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) and must be adhered to. Applicants must use the USA Jobs text boxes for submitting their PTQs and ECQs.

Note: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQ's and ECQs will not be accepted.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process

Required Documents

A complete application consists of:

1) A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications. Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience. Please Note: Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.

2) Your narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Do not write "see resume". Input narrative responses when prompted by the system. Do not upload additional documentation.

Please submit a current SF-50 if you are a Federal Employee. If you are a current or previous Senior Executive Service career member you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) to show proof.

Applicants must use the USA Jobs text boxes for submitting their PTQs and ECQs.

NOTE: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel.

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.