Closing Date: 4th December, 2025
Description:
Summary:The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is headquartered in Alexandria, VA. The mission of the USPTO is to promote innovation and competitiveness by providing quality and timely examination and issuance of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property policy, and delivering intellectual property information and education worldwide.
Duties:
As the Deputy Solicitor and trusted legal advisor to the Solicitor, General Counsel, and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, you will stand at the forefront of intellectual property law and policy - guiding critical patent litigation, influencing national intellectual property strategy and the integrity of decisions that impact inventors, businesses, and the global marketplace.
As the Deputy Solicitor, you will:
- Supervise, in coordination with the Solicitor, all intellectual property litigation involving USPTO as a party or amicus;
- Argue cases at the Federal Circuit and other courts;
- Participate in discussions with Department of Justice and Department of Commerce attorneys regarding intellectual property issues before the Supreme Court, and represent the USPTO in discussions about potential positions taken by the United States on intellectual property matters in federal courts;
- Provide administrative clearances on proposals to amend the Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register notices involving patent and trademark law;
- Participate in developing intellectual property policies; and
- Supervise prosecution of disciplinary proceedings concerning allege violations of rules of governing practice before the USTPO.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
- May be required to successfully complete a 1-year SES probationary period.
- A Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, and the supplemental form, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interest is required within 30 days after the selection for this position.
- You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
- Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
Qualifications:
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and two Technical Qualifications (TQs), listed below in your resume. NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed and will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. If your resume does not demonstrate evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.
Technical Qualifications (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.
TQ 1: Demonstrated experience in litigating intellectual property cases in federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit levels and applying knowledge of intellectual property law in cases involving complex legal and technological issues.
TQ 2: Demonstrated administrative, managerial, and interpersonal skills to effectively (a) lead a highly skilled team of experienced professionals, (b) collaborate with individuals, groups, and organizations having diverse prespectives, and (c) deal with, negotiate successfully with and relate well with Judiciary, government officials, and external audiences.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQS): In addition to the Technical Qualification requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.
ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and Principles of the American Founding: Requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency: Involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ 3: Merit and Competence: Involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ 4: Leading People: Involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
EQ 5: Achieving Results: Involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.
Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECQs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) or your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.
Education:
The candidate must have a law degree from an accredited law school program and must be a member of a bar in good standing in the United States or a Territory of the United States.
Additional Information:
This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position
This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "high" risk.
The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov.
Veteran's preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.
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.
OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, Schedule G, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political appointee, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.
USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation.
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. 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).
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Technical Qualifications (TQs) listed above. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your 2-page resume. Separate narratives will no
