Patent and Trademark Office

Compensation

Full Description

Summary This position is located in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Office of Human Resources, Compensation and Benefits Division, Benefits and Work-Life Branch. The purpose of the position is to perform a range of difficult work related to the administration of a variety of employee benefits programs including retirement, insurance, health benefits, and the Thrift Savings Plan. Duties Help The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. This position is eligible under the Situational Telework Program per agency and business unit discretion/policy. This role is the ideal next career step for you if: • You enjoy advising on policy, directives, and guidelines on a full range of matters. • You are eager to interpreting regulations and provides regulatory interpretation to managers, employees and other staff within the Office of Human Resources. • You are committed to providing presentations and prepares written products that foster understanding of various aspects of the employee benefits program. • You thrive at performing a wide variety of employee benefits assignments requiring the application of a range of retirement, benefits entitlements, health and life insurance, and Thrift Savings Plan concepts, practices, laws, regulations, policies, and legislative changes, and counseling techniques to explain and discuss entitlements. Requirements Help Conditions of employment • 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 You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Administrative and Management Positions. Specialized Experienceis experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform 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 in the federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: GS-11: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-09. • Experience in applying the fundamental principles, concepts, techniques and guidelines in the areas of employee benefits, retirement, worker's compensation, insurance programs and the Thrift Savings Plan; OR • Education: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR an LL.M., if related such as human resources, organizational psychology, public administration, or other administrative and management fields. OR • Equivalent combination of qualifying graduate education. GS-12: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-11. • Experience in providing direct counseling to management, supervisors, employees and family members on retirement and benefit program entitlements/options. 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. Education If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualifications Policies for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course-by-course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. This is a Non Bargaining Unit position. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate". Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: OPM CTAP/ICTAP. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement. More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued. All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at USPTO Reasonable Accommodations. 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 (oeeo@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292). Expand Hide additional information 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. Benefits Help 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. Review our 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.