Legal Administrative Specialist (Trademark)

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, The Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks provides leadership and strategic direction for all aspects of the USPTO's trademark operations including Trademark Examination Policy, Trademark Administration, and Trademark Operations. This position examines legal documents associated with trademark applications for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with legal requirements.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to the start date, the incumbent will be given the opportunity to elect to work from the Alexandria headquarters, from an alternate/home location within the United States (defined as the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico), or a combination of headquarters and alternate location. Your salary/pay will be based on your selected worksite geographical location. The nature and scope of telework opportunities will be subject to the unit's telework policy and any applicable bargaining unit agreements. This rewarding opportunity is the ideal next career step for you if: You're committed to reviewing new trademark applications and supporting papers to make sure they are complete and ready for processing. Assigning filing dates and serial numbers when requirements are met. You have experience handling administrative tasks for the Trademark organization, including organizing records, managing sensitive documents, and reviewing mail, reports, and other correspondence for the supervisor. You're committed to reviewing trademark requests such as changes, renewals, corrections, and statements of use to make sure they follow trademark rules and include the right information and fees. You are eager to answer questions from internal customers, help maintain dockets, support training and workflow, and assist with trademark filings.

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. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at General Schedule Qualification Standards. 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. Specialized experience for this position includes: GS-07: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-07 position Includes: Experience in reviewing and processing newly filed trademark applications and supporting documents to ensure compliance with statutory and procedural requirements and identifying applications that require further review. Experience in identifying, tagging, and uploading key data elements using text-editing or automated tools, ensuring accuracy before attorney examination. Experience in providing routine legal administrative support by maintaining dockets, responding to basic internal customer inquiries by email or phone. GS-09: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-09 position Includes: Experience in reviewing and coding trademark applications and supporting documents to help determine compliance with legal and procedural requirements, including trademark submissions such as extension requests, statements of use, affidavits of use, and address changes. Experience in researching trademark laws, regulations, and examination guidelines to help resolve procedural or factual issues by searching records, references, and historical materials in support of trademark examination. Experience in using automated systems and collaboration tools to process trademark applications, maintain docket records, and communicate routine legal administrative information orally and in writing to internal and external customers. GS-11: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-11 position Includes: Experience in examining and making determinations on trademark prosecution and registration matters, including requests to divide, statements of use, extensions of time, express abandonments, renewals, and corrections, by applying knowledge of trademark laws, rules of practice, and examination guidelines. Experience in providing advanced legal administrative support to a trademark organization by preparing and reviewing correspondence related to applications and/or registrations, and preparing reports related to quality control, responding to internal and external inquiries, and training or assisting others on policies, guidelines, and workflow issues. Experience in conducting basic research on trademark laws, rules of practice, and examination procedures, including Madrid Protocol filings, in determining compliance with legal and procedural requirements. 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

Education Requirement at the GS-07 level: 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. Education Requirement at the GS-09 level: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education Requirements at the GS-11 level: Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or an LL.M., in related field of study. OR Have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that together meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. 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 General Schedule Qualification Policies 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official, due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13016540 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 sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, 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 via email (oeeo@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).

Required Documents

A complete application consists of: 1. Resume: All applicants are required to submit a two-page resume (NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES). Resumes exceeding this limit will not be considered eligible. Please submit only one resume. Only the document uploaded under the "Resume "section as the "Document Type" will be reviewed to assess your qualifications and for evaluation purposes. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year (MM/YY - MM/YY) and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Resume should clearly state your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. 2. Professional or Academic References: Provide 2-3 professional/academic references (name, phone, email); one must be your current supervisor. We'll notify you before contacting them. Please Note: Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official. Supporting Documents: 1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50): For current and/or former Federal employees, your status eligibility and highest permanent grade/step/salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" so that we may verify your time-in-grade. 2. Performance Appraisal: Recent performance appraisal with supervisor's signature showing the official final rating of record and copy of incentive award(s). In cases where the performance appraisal is incomplete or unavailable, applicants may provide explanation of the reasons. 3. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) documents: CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: 1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice); 2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade/band level, and duty location; 3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and 4. Any documentation from your bureau/operating unit that shows your current promotion potential. 4. Transcripts: You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are accepted, 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 requirement. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration. You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Dept. of Commerce site which you access through the USAJobs site. Your application and all required documents must be received by 11:59 pm ET on the closing date of this job announcement. NOTE: The preceding documents requirement 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

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive ...

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. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at General Schedule Qualification Standards. 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. Specialized experience for this position includes: GS-07: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-07 position Includes: Experience in reviewing and processing newly filed trademark applications and supporting documents to ensure compliance with statutory and procedural requirements and identifying applications that require further review. Experience in identifying, tagging, and uploading key data elements using text-editing or automated tools, ensuring accuracy before attorney examination. Experience in providing routine legal administrative support by maintaining dockets, responding to basic internal customer inquiries by email or phone. GS-09: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-09 position Includes: Experience in reviewing and coding trademark applications and supporting documents to help determine compliance with legal and procedural requirements, including trademark submissions such as extension requests, statements of use, affidavits of use, and address changes. Experience in researching trademark laws, regulations, and examination guidelines to help resolve procedural or factual issues by searching records, references, and historical materials in support of trademark examination. Experience in using automated systems and collaboration tools to process trademark applications, maintain docket records, and communicate routine legal administrative information orally and in writing to internal and external customers. GS-11: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this GS-11 position Includes: Experience in examining and making determinations on trademark prosecution and registration matters, including requests to divide, statements of use, extensions of time, express abandonments, renewals, and corrections, by applying knowledge of trademark laws, rules of practice, and examination guidelines. Experience in providing advanced legal administrative support to a trademark organization by preparing and reviewing correspondence related to applications and/or registrations, and preparing reports related to quality control, responding to internal and external inquiries, and training or assisting others on policies, guidelines, and workflow issues. Experience in conducting basic research on trademark laws, rules of practice, and examination procedures, including Madrid Protocol filings, in determining compliance with legal and procedural requirements. 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.