This is a competitive Career Development Detail for 120 days, and can be extended, if necessary, in increments of 120 days up to but no more than 1 year. Two detailee may be selected, one for each location. The work will be performed at the Office of Public Engagement Office in either Bozeman, MT or Tampa, FL. This position serves as a Community Outreach Office Director.
Summary
This is a competitive Career Development Detail for 120 days, and can be extended, if necessary, in increments of 120 days up to but no more than 1 year. Two detailee may be selected, one for each location. The work will be performed at the Office of Public Engagement Office in either Bozeman, MT or Tampa, FL. This position serves as a Community Outreach Office Director.
Current non-probationary GS-15 USPTO employee(s) with at least a Fully Successful rating of record. NOTE: This detail is only open to employees outside of 1220, 1223, 1224 and 1226 job series.
The physical worksite for this position is located in Bozeman, MT or Tampa, FL. Presence at the either 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 calendar year.
The detail is open to all eligible GS-15 USPTO employee(s) NOTE: You will be selected at the grade of your position of record. Higher level pay for this detail assignment is not authorized.
Priority consideration will be given to the most qualified candidate and to those who have not recently served on a detail assignment. IMPORTANT: In rare instances are employees selected to serve on a career development detail more than once in the same area of expertise. This detail is scheduled to begin November 2026.
MAJOR DUTIES:
You thrive at planning and executing engagement programs and activities that incentivize and protect more innovation for stakeholders such as individual inventors, corporations, start-ups, entrepreneurs and venture capital, among others, in their office area, including traditionally under-resourced communities.
You are committed to assisting the agency in communicating and carrying out its strategic plan and goals and furthering the engagement objectives outlined by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property.
You enjoy developing partnerships with local organizations in the innovation ecosystem, institutions of higher education and/or research, and businesses to create tailored community-based programs that provide education regarding the patent systems and promoted the benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship.
You have a strong desire to educating prospective innovators including individual inventors, small businesses, veterans, low-income populations, students, rural populations, and any geographic group of innovators that are underrepresented in patent and trademark filings, about all public and private resources available to potential patent and trademark applicants.
You enjoy collaborating with regional office directors and other divisions to optimize engagement for the agency.
Applicants must possess the ability to perform the required duties. As indicated above, this detail is open to current non-probationary GS-15 USPTO employee(s) with at least a Fully Successful rating of record. To be eligible for this position, the applicant must possess experience directly related to the duties as described in the duties section above.
Applicants must have earned an overall rating of at least FULLY SUCCESSFUL in the most recent rating performance.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Please be advised that this detail is a career development opportunity only; selectee will be assigned to the detail position at his/her current grade level.
The detailee may participate in a telework program while on detail. This position is not in the bargaining unit. Employees must be at the Fully Satisfactory level to be eligible for details.
For candidates who are currently a member of a bargaining unit (Union), if selected, these detail hours are not considered production related for award purposes.
Priority for selection will be given to those qualified candidates who have not had a career development detail or those with the least amount of service on a career development detail within the last four (4) years. Except in extraordinary circumstances, an employee shall not serve on a career development detail a second time in the same area.
Please be advised that this detail is a career development opportunity only; selectee will be assigned to the detail position at his/her current grade level.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
KSA 1 - Ability to plan and execute engagement activities that serve to educate prospective inventors and innovators about the purpose and value of protecting their intellectual property and the benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship.
KSA 2 - Ability to develop partnerships with local organizations in the innovation ecosystem, institutions of higher education and/or research, and businesses to create tailored community-based programs that provide education regarding the patent and trademark systems and promote the benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship.
KSA 3 - Ability to collaborate with other stakeholder groups in the innovation ecosystem and/or other federal agencies to design and deliver engagement programming for a regional or national audience.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Resume, or any other written document addressing related experience, education, special accomplishments, and awards. Please note your resume must be limited to a maximum of two 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.
A copy of their most recent performance evaluations/ratings. (Must include the end of year rating that clearly displays at least a Fully Successful rating or higher, with the signature of their approving official(s), in order to be accepted.)
Detail Interest Form with the signature of their approving official(s). (Must be either digital or ink signatures. The digital signature equates to the signature ability in the Adobe PDF program that includes the person's name, date and signature authority. No other forms of electronic signature will be accepted). Interest form is located on the OCAO Detail Announcement SharePoint or use the link below.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this detail announcement.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.
Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
TMCO - Office of Public Engagement
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US
Next steps
After all application packages have been received, we will review your application.
You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the 'Notification Settings' to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this detail announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Resume, or any other written document addressing related experience, education, special accomplishments, and awards. Please note your resume must be limited to a maximum of two 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.
A copy of their most recent performance evaluations/ratings. (Must include the end of year rating that clearly displays at least a Fully Successful rating or higher, with the signature of their approving official(s), in order to be accepted.)
Detail Interest Form with the signature of their approving official(s). (Must be either digital or ink signatures. The digital signature equates to the signature ability in the Adobe PDF program that includes the person's name, date and signature authority. No other forms of electronic signature will be accepted). Interest form is located on the OCAO Detail Announcement SharePoint or use the link below.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this detail announcement.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.
Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
TMCO - Office of Public Engagement
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US
Next steps
After all application packages have been received, we will review your application.
You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the 'Notification Settings' to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this detail announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
