Are you up for an exciting challenge of working as a Quality Control Assistant? If so, this job is for you! This is an Upward Mobility Position within the Office of Patent Application Processing/Front End Processing (FEP) Division/FEP Branch. FEP Branch of OPAP is responsible for Front end processing of documents ensuring the quality of image, accuracy of assigned document codes, proper splitting and joining of documents, and the overall integrity of patent application documents.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia.This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy. At the entry level of this position the incumbent will perform the following major tasks: *Conducts preliminary review of applications to determine any deficiencies that could cause the delay of issuance or publication. *Gatherings data to be used for the purpose of initiating new quality control measures. *Recommends corrective actions to enhance the quality and timeliness of the issuance and publication cycles. *Identifies problem areas and/or trends within the issuance cycle. *Reviews and compiles informational reports from a variety of sources to assist with any corrections. *Evaluates responses from other PTO personnel to determine accuracy and completeness with regard to Patents Doc codes. *Participates in the development of quality control initiatives assigned to senior specialists. NOTE: Selectee's must enter a trainee position by reassignment or downgrade. Selectee's cannot be promoted into a trainee position. Employees selected for Upward Mobility Program opportunities at a lower grade than the position they currently hold are entitled to pay retention if their existing salary cannot be accommodated within the salary range of the lower Upward Mobility Program grade. This means that the employee's salary in the lower Upward Mobility Program grade will be: 1) the rate of basic pay the employee received immediately before placement in the lower grade; or 2) 150 percent of step 10 of the lower grade, whichever is lower. While under pay retention, employees receive 50% of annual basic pay increases (based on step 10 of the lower grade) and 100% of annual locality pay increases. Pay retention terminates when one of the following events occur: the employee becomes entitled to a rate of basic pay equal to or higher than the retained rate; the employee has a formal break in service of one workday or more; the employee declines a "reasonable offer" of a position for which the rate of basic pay is equal to or higher than the retained rate; or the employee is demoted for personal cause or at his/her request.

Requirements

• Applications 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.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Suitable for Federal Employment.

Qualifications

Requirements: Applicants must meet the UPWARD MOBILITY CRITERIA prior to the closing date of the announcement. ABOUT USPTO'S UPWARD MOBILITY PROGRAM: Upward Mobility is a career development program that provides increased opportunities for eligible employees to successfully transition into administrative and technical positions with more career growth or potential. Upward Mobility is based on competitive selection and requires a training plan that is developed to prepare the selectee for a new career within the USPTO. The training plan is 6 to 18 months in duration and consists of developmental work assignments, on the job training, formal instruction and self-development activities directly related to the successful performance of the target level position by the selected employee. UPWARD MOBILITY POSITION(s)ARE FILLED AT THE BRIDGE/ENTRY LEVEL AS FOLLOWS: BRIDGE POSITION GRADE: QUALITY CONTROL ASSISTANT -GS-0303-07 TARGET POSITION GRADE: QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST - GS-0301-07 QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST - GS-0301-09 FULL PERFORMANCE PROMOTION POTENTIAL: QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST - GS-09 NOTE: You are ineligible for the Upward Mobility Program position if you occupy a two-grade interval career ladder position with promotion potential above a GS-09; or you meet the qualification requirements for the TARGET level position. You must have a current annual performance rating equivalent of at least fully successful. NOTE: Applicants DO NOT have to meet the below specialized experience requirements to apply to the vacancy announcement. Applicants who are selected for the trainee position will receive the opportunity to participate in training, as identified in their Individual Training Plan (ITP), to allow them to meet the OPM general and specialized experience requirements needed to qualify for the target position at the end of the training period. You must meet the following United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements for the advertised position in order to advance to the next grade level. OPM's prescribed Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Clerical and Administrative Support Positions can be found at: Clerical and Administrative Support Positions. 1) You must meet Upward Mobility program eligibility criteria as described within this announcement; AND 2) You must NOT meet OPM qualification requirements at the TARGET level of the position at time of application; AND 3) If you are currently at the GS-7 level, you must be eligible for the bridge grade level under one of the following ways: A) At least one year of experience related to this position described as basic knowledge of the functions, policies, procedures, practices, and administrative stages related to the processing of patent applications and supporting legal documents. OR, B) One full year of graduate level education; OR, C) Superior academic achievement degree in any academic discipline. Specialized Experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Candidates for the GS-07 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-06 grade level in the Federal service. 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. Special Upward Mobility Provisions and Requirements: You must meet Upward Mobility Program Eligibility criteria in order to be considered. If you are selected, you will be required to: 1. Adhere to requirements in the vacancy announcement for the UMP opportunity; 2. Provide input into the development of your Individual Training Plan (ITP) within 30 days; 3. Participate in career advising activities, when offered by the business unit; 4. Perform periodic self-evaluation of performance and review supervisory evaluation of training performance; and 5. Fulfill all training, educational, and work requirements of the approved ITP. 6. Meet standard career-ladder promotion policies and procedures to be promoted to the GS-09 target grade. Promotion beyond the target level is based upon the following criteria: 1) you meet the basic qualification requirements (time-in-grade and specialized experience) for the next higher grade level; 2) you have demonstrated the ability to perform at the next higher grade level; and 3) your performance appraisal at the time of review was at least fully successful. NOTE: Upon successful transition into the target position the employee is no longer considered a trainee or participant in an UMP.

Education

As a general rule, education is not creditable above the GS-5 for most positions covered by clerical and administrative support standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

Contacts

• Address PATS - Office of Patent Application Processing Office of Human Resources Mail Stop 171 P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 US
• Name: Lanett Williams
• Phone: 571-272-6161
• Email: [email protected]