Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all groups of qualified individuals.

The Silicon Valley Regional Director will be responsible for supporting activities and efforts focused on delivering IP information and building advocacy for the value of intellectual property by strengthening the public’s understanding of intellectual property, including increasing the public’s knowledge of intellectual property, and the products and services that the USPTO offers to support the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Western Region*.

Duties include, but are not limited to: the general administrative oversight of the Silicon Valley regional office located in San Jose, California, as the most senior ranking federal government official representing the USPTO; serving as the “face” of the agency in the Western region, strengthening agency outreach channels by supporting, facilitating, coordinating, and leading high-level engagements with the Intellectual Property community and stakeholder leaders in industry and government at the local, state, and Federal levels in the Western region; management of space and other administrative issues; participating with the USPTO Office of the Under Secretary in setting agency outreach vision, priorities and goals; coordinating with other USPTO Business Units regarding issues that may affect stakeholders in the region, including Patents, Trademarks, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, the Office of the Chief Communication Officer, the Office of Policy and International Affairs, and other Regional Directors; regularly communicating and coordinating with the USPTO Office of the Under Secretary on significant outreach initiatives, programs, policies and efforts, and on significant issues relating to the administration of the regional office, as needed. 

Specifically, the incumbent will:

Serve as the primary channel of outreach and engagement with USPTO stakeholders in the region, including the intellectual property bar, businesses (including industries, start-ups, small business, medium business, and venture capital), and the education community (including the technology transfer and grants communities).

Support, facilitate, coordinate and lead high-level engagements with the Intellectual Property community and stakeholder leaders in industry and government at the local, state, and Federal levels in the Western region.

Tailor outreach efforts to the regional community, seek out and gather feedback and incorporate suggestions from the regional community on its needs.

Constantly refine and source new opportunities for outreach within and specific to the Western Region to ensure that all regional industries and interests are engaged with the USPTO.  

Coordinate outreach-related resources and materials with the relevant business units within the USPTO, including the Office of the Under Secretary, the Office of the Chief Communications Officer, the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, the Global Intellectual Property Academy, and the Office of Governmental Affairs.

Ensure open lines of communication and transparency of operations between the regional office, the Deputy Under Secretary and all business units, as needed and appropriate.

Be responsible for the performance of support staff and supervisors within the chain of command, and the review performance ratings for those staff members.

Be responsible for facilities management oversight of the regional office, including coordinating with the Chief Administrative Officer on issues relating to closure of the satellite office due to unscheduled events (e.g., extreme weather, natural disaster, IT systems non-operational, etc.).

*The Western Region is comprised of the States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) will be required upon appointment.

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

Qualifications

To qualify, the applicant’s resume and answers to questions must demonstrate their technical and leadership experience/expertise as they relate to the duties described.

Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications and executive core 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. Maximum length of 10000 characters when addressing the PTQs and ECQs.

Professional Technical Qualifications: Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess technical attributes in the Professional/Technical Qualifications. The PTQs for this position are:

1. Expert knowledge and experience in stakeholder outreach and development. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of how to support, facilitate, coordinate and lead high-level engagements with community Intellectual Property and stakeholder leaders at the local, state and Federal levels, providing resources, information, programs and services that benefit and encourage growth of our innovation-based economy.

2. Demonstrated experience with program and administrative management. Demonstrated abilities to establish and maintain positive working relationships with others and in teams working toward common goals. Demonstrated abilities to resolve conflicts. Excellent communication skills in keeping leadership informed as issues arise and higher-level decisions are needed.

3. Knowledge of the scientific, technical and legal matters with the patent and trademark processes, which may include knowledge of the preparation and/or prosecution of applications, classification, or comparable knowledge in the patent and/or trademark fields.

4. Ability to represent programs and initiatives positively before external and internal stakeholders and to communicate effectively and comfortably through public speaking.

5. Demonstrated ability to effectively plan, organize, implement, and measure program progress towards established goals.

Please Note: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM, only need to submit a resume and narrative statement covering each of the Professional Technical Qualification (PTQs) requirements and do NOT need to address the Executive Core Qualifications.

For the following five Executive Core Qualifications, you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications. Be sure to provide specific examples of what you've done that demonstrates your possession of each ECQ. For more information about the Executive Core Qualifications please visit this site: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executiveservice/referencematerials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf.

Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess managerial attributes in the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs). Each response should include a brief summary of the applicant's experience in relation to the specific PTQ and specific examples of accomplishments. Applicants must also clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess managerial attributes in the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Each response should include a brief summary of the applicant's experience in relation to the specific ECQ and specific examples of accomplishments.

Your application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates will be submitted to the Selecting Official for further review and consideration.