Patent Examiner (Chemical Engineering) Direct-Hire Authority (DHA)

Summary

The USPTO drives U.S innovation for the benefit of all Americans and providing intellectual property protection for innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide. We are looking for talented individuals to examine ideas that benefit society and bring innovation to market. You'll shape the future of patent examination, advance key processes, and support innovation in cutting-edge ways.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required as this role includes onsite 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. Be part of history in the making - and help shape what's next. Learn how to become a patent examiner, explore the patent examiner disciplines crosswalk to find the areas that align best with your expertise, meet the people leading the way, and discover how you can use cutting-edge tools to protect breakthrough ideas. As a patent examiner, you will: Examine patent applications and help protect groundbreaking ideas. You will assess patent applications for new inventions, ensuring they meet our standards and determining if they are eligible for a patent. Early in your career, you will work closely with supervisors and senior examiners and receive extensive guidance and feedback as you develop your skills and evaluate your findings. You will explore Innovation in your review of patent applications. You will use specialized and cutting-edge technology to search prior art - information known publicly before the filing of a U.S. patent application - to determine whether inventions meet patentability standards and are eligible for a patent. Prepare clear and thoughtful office actions. You will draft written communications to applicant to convey your findings in detailed explanations of your examination decisions. You will discuss them with supervisors or senior examiners and refine your work based on feedback before issuing official communications. Please review the relevant conflict of interest laws and standards of ethical conduct that may affect you as a patent examiner. Carefully review the conflict of interest laws and standards of ethical conduct, if you have an interest in any company that manufactures devices or markets processes covered by your technology area, you will be subject to a disqualification regarding all patent applications in the technology area unless the value is below $15,000 for any one company and less than $25,000 for all companies. If you are an attorney applicant, you must also be able to comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible professional responsibility conflicts in connection with your application. Further, as an employee of the USPTO you are restricted as to your interest in patents consistent with 35 U.S.C. 4. 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 ([email protected]) or phone (571-272-8292).

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS for all grade levels in this series include: (A) (1) successfully completed a full four-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering, OR (2) a combination of qualifying education and experience. This can be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration--Current registration as a professional engineer by any state, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Written test--Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration, administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in various states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Specified academic courses--Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and including the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A. Related curriculum--Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field (for example, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology) may be accepted in lieu of an engineering degree, provided the applicant has had at least one year of professional engineering experience with professional engineering supervision and guidance. The curriculum must: Be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; OR Include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating to particle and aggregate structure to properties); or (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR (B) A combination of education and experience. This combination of college-level education, training, and/or technical experience must have furnished both: a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering; AND a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their application to professional engineering. Applicants must also meet the additional requirements listed below. Applicants for the GS-7 position have many ways to qualify. In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, applicants may have A, B, C, D, or E listed below to qualify: (A) One year of graduate-level education from an accredited college and/or university in an engineering field of study. (B) Superior Academic Achievement. This can be defined by one of the following: Class standing--Upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the "School of Engineering and Applied Science" or "College of Science and Technology" based on completed courses. Grade point average (GPA) as recorded on the final transcript--3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on the official transcript, or as computed based on four years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two years of the curriculum. The GPA is rounded to one decimal place (2.95 = 3.0 and 2.94 = 2.9). The final transcript must cover the period being used to determine the GPA. Honor society membership--Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. Please review the list of qualified honor societies. (C) One year of specialized experience applying basic engineering, biological science, physics, or scientific principles, theo