Closing Date: 21st October, 2026
Description:
Summary:This position is located in the Office of Policy and International Affairs, OPIA, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The incumbent of this position serves as an international and legislative expert in the field of intellectual property protection in the areas of patent, industrial design, and related laws.
Duties:
The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year.
This rewarding opportunity is ideal for you if:
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
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
Specialized Experienceis 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, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the federal service.
GS-14:
Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-13 grade level in the Federal service in the following:
And
Professional Law/legal experience, post J.D. is defined as: Professional legal/law experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.
GS-15:
Candidates for the GS-15 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-14 grade level in the Federal service in the following:
And
Professional Law/legal experience, post J.D. is defined as: Professional legal/law experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.
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:
The following education requirements must be met for this position:
Possess a degree in one of the scientific/engineering disciplines (Engineering, Chemistry, or Biology).
And
You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (L.L.M) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and an active bar membership of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution.
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 http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp 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 (http://www.ed.gov/). Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) (http://www.naces.org/) 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.
Additional Information:
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service
This rewarding opportunity is ideal for you if:
- You are eager to develop policies for the United States Government on matters relating to the above-mentioned areas of intellectual property that arise in international organizations, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, the Organization of American States, and various other multilateral bodies concerned with intellectual property rights.
- You are able to develop legislative proposals on a variety of patent, industrial design, and unfair competition-related issues, as well as drafting legislation necessary to implement any treaty or agreement to which the United States desires to become a party.
- You possess the ability to conduct thorough studies and analysis of potential international agreements to determine positions for the United States Government and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- You are excited to negotiate international agreements with other intellectual property offices.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- Applicants will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
- Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.
- You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
- Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
- If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period.
- You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
- This position requires the completion of OF-450 Financial Disclosure.
- Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
- The ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance
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
Specialized Experienceis 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, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the federal service.
GS-14:
Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-13 grade level in the Federal service in the following:
- Experience consulting with various stakeholders to identify their positions on domestic and international developments; AND
- Experience serving as an international and legislative expert in the field of intellectual property protection in areas of patent, industrial design, and related laws; AND
- Experience developing policies on matters related to intellectual property.
Professional Law/legal experience, post J.D. is defined as: Professional legal/law experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.
GS-15:
Candidates for the GS-15 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-14 grade level in the Federal service in the following:
- Experience developing U.S. and/or International patent policy; AND
- Experience interacting with foreign and international intellectual property offices and/or organizations; AND
- Experience negotiating on behalf of clients or the U.S. government in an international setting, foreign forum or international tribunal.
Professional Law/legal experience, post J.D. is defined as: Professional legal/law experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.
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:
The following education requirements must be met for this position:
Possess a degree in one of the scientific/engineering disciplines (Engineering, Chemistry, or Biology).
And
You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (L.L.M) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and an active bar membership of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution.
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 http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp 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 (http://www.ed.gov/). Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) (http://www.naces.org/) 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.
Additional Information:
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service
