Are you looking to harness the power of innovation at the place where innovation begins? Look no further! This is an exciting opportunity for a talented individual to make significant contributions to the Agency and the marketplace via cutting edge technology that defines, enforces and protects the Intellectual Property of the United States around the world.
USPTO is responsible for granting US intellectual property rights for patents and trademarks. Our efforts have provided inventors exclusive rights over their discoveries. It’s an effort that continues to contribute to a strong global economy, to encourage investment in innovation. This position is part of the IT organization led by the Chief Information Officer (CIO). The CIO is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director, USPTO, on the application of IT to support and improve the Agency’s business processes. The Office of Application Engineering and Development (OAED) is responsible for the full life cycle management of the USPTO’s automated information systems, consistent with the USPTO’s strategic IT plans and supporting technical architecture. The Office designs, develops the systems and validates that the business areas’ functional and performance requirements are met prior to delivery to operations for production testing and deployment.
The User Experience Division (UXD) is a part of the OAED. The mission of the UXD is to ensure that USPTO Websites and Applications are designed and built with the direct end-user in mind at all times, and are highly usable, useful, desirable and accessible. UXD achieves the mission by partnering with various USPTO groups and by providing various User Experience Design services including, but not limited to:
Usability and Design Standards and Guidelines.
User, Content & Context Research & Business Analysis using various Research and Business Requirements Management techniques and methods.
Information Architecture Development
User Centered Interaction Design – conceptual to logical design via mockups, wireframes, story boards, clickable prototypes etc.
Visual Design
Multimedia Development
User Experience Evaluation via various methods including Usability Testing, Heuristic Evaluation, Log File Analysis etc.
This position serves as a senior Visual Designer in the UXD.
For more information about the USPTO, please visit the USPTO Careers Website .
KEY REQUIREMENTS
You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
DUTIES: This position serves as a senior Visual Designer.
– Serves as a technical authority and senior expert responsible for designing an updated web presence that enhances USPTO’s collaborative abilities, using the latest technologies and usability concepts.
– Works closely with software developers, system analysts, Web technology specialists, and graphics designers, customers, and procurement specialists, to
Design and prototype websites
Gather, review, analyze, and prioritize requirements in collaboration with business and technical teams
Define user needs, preferences, and behaviors through qualitative and quantitative research/analysis
Conduct remote and onsite usability testing at various points in the web design process
Collaborate with the rest of the user experience group to expand, evolve and update techniques, work products and deliverables to reflect latest trends and best practices.
Assure website quality and functionality with respect to usability requirements
- Conducts research into innovative trends or techniques for incorporating usability principles into web design, performing usability studies, and adapting interfaces to modern technology such as mobile devices or assistive hardware/software. Keeps current with emerging web technologies through relevant blogs, listservs, and events.
– Develops agency standards and practices for usable web design and testing procedures, and provides expert guidance in their application. Maintains a consistent look and feel throughout all web properties.
– Tracks and reports on all site metrics. Assesses overall website performance and make recommendations for improvement.
– Determines scope, methods, resource requirements, schedules, and supporting analysis associated with web design. Provides leadership and coordination to evaluate and implement new services and technologies.
– Manages the preparation of technical specifications, statements of work, task orders, and other acquisition related documentation necessary to effectively obtain and administer contractor-supported information system projects and operations.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: 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. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM Website .
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-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience as a graphic or web designer for a large (more than 1 million page views per month) website. That experience must include:
– regular use of HTML, JavaScript and CSS; AND
– regular use of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Fireworks); AND
– creating and editing digital videos; AND
– working with software developers, system analysts, web technology specialist and/or other graphic designers to design and prototype websites.
In addition to meeting specialized experience requirements, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating the competencies listed at the following link: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs2200/2210-AltA.asp .
Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level
*
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED: Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions. Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:
KSA 1 – Skill in applying web design principles and techniques to include prototyping tools; visualization tools, and scripting or programming languages to design and prototype modern user interfaces.
KSA 2 – Skill in communicating web design concepts by developing design communication tools such as paper prototypes, wireframes, software prototypes and explanatory videos.
KSA 3 – Knowledge of Section 508 and other regulations governing public websites.
KSA 4 – Ability to use project management principles, methods, and practices to design and develop websites that meet current and future business requirements.
Your application will then be evaluated and rated under Category Rating and Selection procedures. Category rating procedures evaluate your total qualifying experience, education, and training and assigns them into a single, pre-defined quality category Qualified applicants are assigned to one of three categories following a review of their resume and other supporting documentation. Each category is defined as follows:
Best Qualified - Applicant possesses exceptional experience with a background that demonstrates a superior level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required to perform the duties of the position.
Well Qualified - Applicant possesses good experience with a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required to perform the duties of the position.
Qualified - Applicant possesses the minimum qualifications with a background that demonstrates a basic level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required to perform the duties of the position.
Veterans’ preference is applied by listing preference eligibles ahead of non¬-preference eligibles within the same quality category in which they are placed. Qualified preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be placed at the top of the highest quality category (‘Best Qualified’), except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Qualified) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category.
For more information on category rating procedures, please visit the Category Rating Fact Sheet .
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).
Certified applicants who are referred to the Hiring Manager may be asked to come in for interviews which will consist of two parts:
- Behavioral interview assessing your knowledge, skills and abilities.
– Technical Competence may be addressed in a Technical Interview.
To preview questions please click here .
BENEFITS: The United States Patent and Trademark Office offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) and Telework Program are available to eligible employees.
Please visit USPTO New Employee Information for additional information.
Visit Working for the Federal Governement to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees.
OTHER INFORMATION: Applicants applying for this position must be a United States Citizen.
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 Bargaining Unit position.
This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of “moderate”.
Except as prohibited by law, all applicants tentatively selected for positions needing a Top Secret Clearance will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and, if appointed, the incumbent will be subjected to random drug testing procedures.
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 .
Probationary Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial one-year probationary period.
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.
Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transaction Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website
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.