Duties

The Senior Level Quality Advisor provides strategic vision, guidance and direction to ensure that the necessary monitoring, assessment, and training required to instill confidence in the processes, programs, projects, and initiatives supported by divisions within OIPC are in place. OIPC's divisions include divisions focused on patent classification, international work sharing, international patent legal administration, international outreach and administration and international patent business solutions. The Senior Level Quality Advisor makes high level managerial and technical decisions required for successful quality management system (QMS) development and administration for each OIPC division and OIPC, as a whole.

The Senior Level Quality Advisor performs the following duties:

• Represents the Office in national and international forums and foreign patent office discussions on patent examination quality and the harmonization of patent quality processes and procedures
• Ensures quality of OIPC processes, programs, projects, and initiatives by monitoring/overseeing each OIPC division's quality management system (QMS)
  • Works with each OIPC division to develop, implement and maintain a systematic, evidence-based quality review process for the division's processes, programs, projects, and initiatives
  • Works with each OIPC division to develop and track metrics addressing the quality of the division's processes, programs, projects, and initiatives that allow for evidence-based decision-making, including the rapid identification of the root cause(s) of problems
  • Works with each OIPC division to determine its resource needs to execute quality initiatives and then works with the division to obtain these resources
  • Works with each OIPC division to develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures for the division's processes in accordance with guidance from Patents' Office of Process Improvement
  • Audits processes, especially quality-related processes, throughout OIPC to identify issues and ways to improve efficiency and quality
  • Works with each OIPC division to implement identified and management-approved recommendations
  • Works with each OIPC division to develop and implement effective training for staff to address identified issues, as appropriate
• Ensures the QMS of each OIPC division aligns with OIPC's, Patents', and USPTO's strategic goals and priorities
• Independently analyzes quality data from OIPC's divisions to identify ways to enhance the quality of work product and services delivered by OIPC and its divisions
• Develops quarterly reports of findings for the Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner who oversee OIPC and its divisions
• Serves as a subject matter expert for OIPC on all aspects related to quality, including quality assurance and quality control approaches
• Assesses and provides recommendations to improve the international patent filing and prosecution system, including working with stakeholders to identify the needs of the international patent community (e.g., other intellectual property offices and patent-related stakeholder groups, both domestic and abroad)
• Serves as OIPC point of contact on quality matters with other divisions of Patents and other business units
  • Coordinates with the Senior Level data scientists and statisticians in the Patents business unit to ensure OIPC data collection and analysis are conducted in accordance with Patents' best practices for data governance, that all areas of Patents have access to OIPC data, and that OIPC leverages Patents-wide data sets as part of its data analysis
  • Works with the USPTO's Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA) on data collection, data analysis, and metrics production efforts to ensure USPTO has appropriate monitoring of and insights into international patent efforts

This position includes supervisory and related managerial duties, provided that these duties occupy a maximum of 25 percent of the incumbent's time.

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. However, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is currently under a maximum telework posture due to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, this position is currently under a 100 percent telework schedule. The position's telework schedule will likely change in the future when USPTO moves away from its maximum telework posture. At that time, the incumbent will be expected to report to the physical work site in accordance with the updated status requirements of their supervisor. The nature and scope of future telework opportunities will be subject to the unit's telework policy, any applicable bargaining unit agreements, and supervisory approval. Payment of relocation expenses, as applicable, will be paid in accordance with this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) will be required upon appointment.
• You must use the USA Jobs text boxes when submitting narrative responses to the PTQs. (10,000 character limit each).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum requirements for this position, candidates must demonstrate their experience in their narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) questions and all narrative responses must be fully supported within their resume. *Applicants must use the USA Jobs text boxes to submit their narrative responses to the PTQs. Do not write "see resume" or "see attached documents". Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to. Uploaded documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.

Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications set forth below.

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.

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

Please provide your narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) questions - Do not write "see resume" or "see attached document". Uploaded documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.

Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to.

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

The Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) for this position are:

• Ability to plan and execute high level programs and/or projects that are highly specialized and impact the agency or organization level. This includes setting vision and strategy, making decisions and influencing others, and having a direct and major impact on the quality of the program or project results. Be sure to provide specific examples.
• Expert ability to advise executive leadership on quality standards and metrics, strategic alignment of projects with mission objectives, project prioritization and selection, and metrics selection and performance. Be sure to include examples and your specific role.
• Comprehensive knowledge of quality management principles, and explain how you have applied these principles to improve and provide new efficiencies as well as quality enhancements to patents processes, programs, projects, and initiatives. Be sure to include specific examples.
• Extensive knowledge of the laws, policies, processes and practices governing major programs in domestic and foreign intellectual property offices sufficient to develop, implement and maintain a systematic quality management system for the USPTO. Be sure to include specific examples.

Education

The individual must have a scientific or technical degree, or the equivalent. Technical subject areas include: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer technology, biological technology, chemical technology or biotechnology.

Additional information

As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the agency, if after November 22. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement. Contact the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment and Diversity at (571) 272-8292 or OEEOD@uspto.gov for information on obtaining an exception to the requirement.

Probationary Period: You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

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 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.

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).