Patent Examiner; Chemistry

Position: Patent Examiner (Chemistry)

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

Requirements

• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies. You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• You are required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• If this is your first federal appointment, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Current federal service employees may be given a new appointment, and a new probationary period may be required.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).).
• This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.
• This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate."

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS for all grade levels in this series include:

(A) At least a bachelor's degree in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by coursework in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

OR

(B) Have a combination of education and experience--course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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, or D listed below to qualify
:

(A) At least one year of graduate-level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college and/or university in chemistry or other directly related 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 biological science, physics, or scientific principles, theories, concepts, and methodologies used in the evaluation of technology; assisting in the collection of and recognizing discrepancies in data. Examples of work include taking measurements and collecting information, learning to take proper samples, conducting routine calculations, checking of numerical data, preparing graphs and data profiles, and/or accomplishing routine analyses.

(D) A combination of graduate level education that is less than 1 year and less than 1 year of specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

Applicants for the GS-9 position have many ways to qualify.
In addition to the basic requirements
as stated above, applicants must
have A, B, C, or D listed below to qualify
:

(A) At least two years of graduate-level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college and/or university in chemistry or other directly related field of study.

(B) One year of specialized experience, interpreting and applying intermediate biological science, physics, or scientific principles, theories, concepts, and methodologies used in the evaluation of technology; participating in planning and conducting research; applying appropriate references to the claimed invention; etc. Work experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures;

and independently completing recurring assignments, but referring deviations, problems, and unfamiliar situations to a designated person for…