Technology Center Group Director

Are you looking for a role where you'll serve as a leader in accelerating American innovation? Come join our team at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)--America's Innovation Agency! We're seeking a Technology Center Group Director in the Office of the Commissioner for Patents who will lead one or more Patent Technology Center groups by managing resources and staffing, implementing and enforcing patent examination policy and procedures, overseeing performance and organizational alignment, adjudicating petitions and patentability-related issues, and representing the Office in support of agency goals.

Duties

The Group Director (Director) serves under the general administrative direction of the Assistant Commissioners. The Director's duties include, but are not limited to:

• Operating and administrating at least one group in a Technology Center, identifying and allocating resource needs, initiating programs consistent with the priorities and goals of the Agency, communicating policy and decisions, establishing procedures, adjudicating petitions, participating in activities which promote the goals of the Office and supporting improvements programs presented by the Commissioner.
• Implementing of policy for the Patent Examining Groups, including changes in patent practice, revision of procedures, establishment of examining priorities, and classification of arts. The Director oversees the needs of the Group(s) pertaining to patent examination processes utilizing the Patent Statutes, the Rules of Practice, the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure and the Director's directives from the Office of the Under Secretary and the Office of the Commissioner for Patents.
• Monitoring the groups and art units for compliance with the policies and procedures of the Office. If discrepancies are identified, it is the duty of the Director to present these issues to the managers and subordinated to ensure a resolution. Additionally, the Director has the ability to resolve concerns that arise between subordinates including decisions of patentability. The Director is also responsible for communicating issues that arise in the Technology Centers and Groups to his/her superiors.
• Determining firepower needs; hiring personnel consistent with merit, qualifications and recruitment principles; placing examiners in art units best suited to their technological backgrounds and consistent with the business needs of the Office; recommending reassignments, if necessary; determining if art units should be re- organized and the reassignment of staff. Thus, the Director selects Subordinate Patent Examiners, SPRES, QAS and clerical supervisors to supervise subordinate art units and the technical support staff. The Director, is responsible for performance support staff supervisors, and reviews performance ratings for examiners and any other staff members.
• Communicating policy and procedures to their subordinates and communicating issues from the subordinates to their superiors. If discrepancies are identified, the Director present these issues to the managers and subordinated to ensure a resolution. Additionally, the Director has the ability to resolve concerns that arise between subordinates including decisions of patentability.
• Adjudicating petitions and approving Office actions in reexamination application where patents are involved in litigation. The Director is also responsible for ensuring classification of the arts and documents in the Technology Center are kept current. The Director may be assigned duties as representing the Office to Bar associations and other parties.

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Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES.

PTQs:

• Demonstrated management of professional staff in the patent prosecution process prioritizing responsibilities, guiding teams through challenges, devising and implementing solutions and achieving measurable results.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, lead, and implement organizational policies and programs in Intellectual Property and expert knowledge of scientific, technical, and legal matters in the patent process (application preparation/prosecution, classification, comparable patent-field work) sufficient to manage and lead others.

ECQs: Commitment to the Rule of Law and Principles of the American Founding; Driving Efficiency; Merit and Competence; Leading People; Achieving Results

Education

The minimum educational requirement for this position is a technical degree or the equivalent.

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National and you will be subject to a 1-year Senior Executive Service (SES) probationary period (unless already completed).

The full list of conditions and qualifications can be found on the USAJOBS posting.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, 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.