IAC Specialist

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Koniag Professional Services, LLC, a Koniag Government Services company, is looking for professionals with broad Patent‑related experience from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to join the Inventors Assistance Center (IAC) team. These specialists answer public inquiries and provide patent assistance and information. Positions are direct, part‑time with telecommuting options after IAC training, and start at the customer site in Alexandria, VA.

Specialists provide telephonic contact center support to the public who seek non‑legal information about patent applications, examination policy, fees, forms, processes, petitions, post‑issuance, rule interpretations, and other topics related to intellectual property, both domestic and international.

• Answer customer calls and voicemails presented to the IAC.
• Work various shift lengths between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM ET, Monday‑Friday, excluding federal holidays.
• Work from an alternate site (home or office) in compliance with USPTO policies and OCIO Rules of the Road.
• Maintain availability to answer calls within 2 minutes of call arrival in queue, at least 90 % of the time.
• Stay current with USPTO rules, policies, and procedures by reviewing USPTO emails, public notices, and internal bulletins.
• Provide one‑stop service to callers, maintaining a minimum 84 % customer satisfaction rating for team performance.
• Document all customer interactions (incoming and outgoing) via the USPTO CRM (Salesforce).
• Transfer callers to other departments or parts of the Office as infrequently as possible.
• Guide callers to the USPTO website and/or IAC landing page to achieve self‑sufficiency with forms, application types, fee schedules, and other requested information.
• If a caller has limited computer access, email requested forms and documents in PDF format.
• Direct callers to public Patent‑registered legal assistance services.
• Suggest regional assistance via Patent & Trademark Resource Centers (PTRC) in each state.

• Paced and timely completion of all work.
• Ability to work in a team environment (in the IAC Office and/or alternate work site).
• Adherence to contract requirements and government and company policies.
• Remote communication with the supervisory chain.
• Knowledge of the MPEP (Manual of Patent Examining Procedure) and 35 U.S.C. in reference to Patent law.
• Significant experience as a Primary Patent Examiner with signature authority or a Supervisory Patent Examiner providing working knowledge of the USPTO examination process.
• Effective communication skills and motivation to serve the general public with exceptional customer service.

• Retired federal employee of the USPTO patent office with experience as a Primary Patent Examiner with signature authority or above.
• Experience demonstrating good customer communication and interpersonal skills.
• High motivation to serve the public with exceptional customer service.
• Computer knowledge and ability to use various desktop applications specific to the USPTO.
• Computer knowledge of various public applications used by USPTO customers.
• Verbally capable of clearly explaining various aspects of patent versus trademark versus copyright; technical and intellectual property terms, forms, applications, petitions, assignees, inventors, filed partnerships, fees, provisional versus non‑provisional, design versus utility patents, declarations, specifications, claims, drawings, and other related aspects of the patent process.

• Retirement date after final implementation of the Leahy‑Smith America Invents Act (AIA).
• Registered Patent Agent (permits qualified search of application for the applicant/inventor(s) before the USPTO).
• Registered Patent Attorney (permits prosecution of application for the applicant/inventor(s) before the USPTO).
• Patent prosecuting experience outside of the USPTO as a public Patent Agent or Patent Attorney.

The company is an equal‑opportunity employer. The company shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of…