IAC Specialist

Koniag Government Services, LLC•Alexandria, VA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Koniag Professional Services, LLC, a Koniag Government Services company, has an opportunity for professionals knowledgeable and proficient in a broad spectrum of Patent-related information attained at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to become part of the Inventors Assistance Center (IAC) team. These Specialists answer customer inquiries and provide patent assistance and information to the public. These are direct, part-time positions with our company, initially working at the customer site in Alexandria, VA, with telecommuting options following completion of IAC training. Summary: Specialists provide telephonic contact center support to the general public who seek non-legal information regarding patent applications, patent examination policy, patent fees, patent forms, patent processes, petition information, post issuance information, rule interpretations and other topics related to the protection of Intellectual Property, both domestic and international.

Requirements

Retired federal employee of the USPTO patent office with experience as a Primary Patent Examiner with signature authority or above
Experience showing 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 which serve the 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, inventor partners, fees, provisional versus non-provisional, design versus utility patents, declarations, specifications, claims and drawings and other related aspects of the patent process

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Answer customer calls and voicemails presented to the Inventors Assistance Center (IAC)
Availability to work various shift lengths which occur between the hours of 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM, ET, Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays
Ability to work from an alternate work site (e.g., home or office) commensurate with general USPTO policies and OCIO Rules of the Road regarding equipment and security prerequisites
Maintain availability to answer calls within 2-minutes of call arrival in queue, 90% of the time
Maintain currency with USPTO rules, policies and procedures by reading USPTO emails, public notices and/or internal issued bulletins
Provide one-stop service to callers that maintains 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 so they can achieve self-sufficiency with obtaining necessary forms, application types, fee schedules and other requested information
When a caller has limited computer access, forms and certain documents in PDF format can be emailed to the customer if requested
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
Remote communication with supervisory chain
Adherence to government and company policies and procedures
Knowledge of the MPEP (Manual of Patent Examining Procedure) as issued by the Department of Commerce, U. S. Patent and Trademark Office
General knowledge of 35 U.S.C. (United States Code) in reference to Patent law
Significant years of experience as a Primary Patent Examiner with signature authority or Supervisory Patent Examiner who provides working knowledge of the patent examination process, the application process, application rejection and other events that occur within the USPTO
Effective communication skills and motivation to serve the general public with exceptional customer service at all times