There is a vacancy for a patent attorney to serve as an Assistant or Associate Counsel within the Office of Counsel, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD). The NAWCWD Office of Counsel has offices at both Point Mugu, California and China Lake, California. The preference is to assign the successful applicant to Point Mugu, California, but assignment to China Lake, California may be considered. NAWCWD is a field activity of the Naval Air Systems Command.
The candidate selected for this position will provide a range of intellectual property and technology legal services including preparing, drafting, and prosecuting patent and trademark applications; counseling on intellectual property matters; counseling on contract and technology transfer matters; reviewing and negotiating patent licenses; resolving patent and copyright administrative claims; counseling on contract surveillance regarding invention disclosure; and counseling on rights in technical data and computer software. The selected candidate will be expected to travel, including between activities.This position will be filled under an alternative pay system at the DA-03/04/05/06 level, which is equivalent to the GS-11/12/13/14 grade levels. Requirements for the position include an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, or other education and work experience clearly demonstrating an ability to perform the duties of the position, and particularly as those duties relate to RF communication systems technology and signal processing.Experience in patent preparation and prosecution of RF communication systems technology, signal processing, and software is highly desirable.
To be eligible for selection at the DA-03 level, GS-11 equivalent, recent law school graduates must have one year of legal experience, and recent law school graduates with less than one year of legal experience must have superior law student work or activities demonstrated by graduating in the top third of their law school class, work or achievement of significance on an official law school law review or journal,winning a moot court competition, membership on the law school's official moot court team, or membership in the Order of the Coif. To be eligible for selection at the DA-04 level, GS-12 equivalent, the applicant must have at least two years of successful legal practice in intellectual property. To be eligible for selection at the DA-0-05 level, GS-13 equivalent, the applicant must have in excess of two years of successful legal practice in intellectual property. To be eligible for selection at the DA-06-level, GS-14 equivalent, the applicant must have at least three and one half years of successful legal practice as an intellectual property attorney. As the desired grade level rises, concentrated experience in the noted areas of practice and familiarity with Navy processes and procedures become increasingly important. Pay will be set commensurate with the successful applicant's qualifications, funding availability, and the applicable pay setting guidelines.
Applicants will be evaluated on: 1) their patent prosecution knowledge, skills and abilities; (2) their experience or potential for growth in the relevant practice areas; 3) their research, analytical, and writing skills; and 4) their ability to work well with clients and other staff in both team and individual situations. The successful candidate must be a U.S. citizen; have graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia; be admitted to practice before a state or federal court and the United States Patent and Trademark Office; and be eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
Contact
Interested attorneys may contact Ms. Charlene Haley at 760-939-8423.
Applicants should submit an SF-171, OF-612, or resume; two legal writing samples; two most recent performance appraisals (if available); and the names and telephone numbers of at least three references (other than current supervisors) who are familiar with the candidate's legal skills and who may be contacted. Application materials should also include a telephone number and contact name for all previous employers. If a candidate does not wish for OGC to contact their current employer, they should so indicate. Attorneys who have graduated from law school after 2008 must provide a copy of their law school transcripts, including class rank. The application should also state the lowest pay level that the applicant will consider.
Application file size must be under 7MB and shall be submitted electronically to the following address: NAWCWD.OGC.PA-53@myteam.
This announcement will close on March 24, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST (updated), and applications must be received by that time to be considered.
If the successful applicant is not currently a member of the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel, processing of the hiring action can only commence after submission of those items identified in the "Instructions for New OGC Attorneys" (see Careers section of www.ogc.navy.mil).
Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must specifically claim such eligibility in their cover letter, identify the basis for the claim, and include supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty or other supporting documentation) with their submission. Not all veterans are preference eligible. For a summary of time periods, campaigns, and conditions that entitle an applicant to preference eligibility, please visit www.opm.gov/veterans and review the "Vets Info Guide" and the "Vets Guide." There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference for attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. Applicants who do not claim and do not provide adequate supporting documentation for veterans' preference will not receive the positive factor consideration.
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement: https://help.usajobs.gov/
Additional Info
Employer Type: Government
Job Location: Point Mugu or China Lake, California