Supervisory IT Specialist

Patent and Trademark Office•Alexandria, VA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Located within the USPTO Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), the incumbent serves as a Branch Chief in the Transition Support Branch (TSB), directing work in alignment with executive goals and agency expectations. TSB oversees agency-wide IT communications, IT transition support, and AI knowledge management, supporting OCIO’s delivery of IT products and services. The role provides technical leadership for enterprise IT customer support and service desk operations, supporting mission-critical systems, hardware, and software. It advances self-service and AI-enabled capabilities using service management methodologies such as Knowledge Centered Service (KCS) and ITIL to improve IT service management (ITSM), knowledge management, and operational efficiency. The position also formulates and disseminates IT information, communicates system status, develops technical documentation, and leads process improvements, automation, standardization, and adoption of emerging technologies. The Branch Chief supervises and develops technical staff by planning and assigning work, setting priorities, evaluating performance, resolving operational issues, and fostering a high-performing team. The physical worksite is the Alexandria, Virginia campus, and in-person presence is required for on-site functions. Situational telework may be available under agency policy and business-unit discretion; the agency currently allows 52 hours of telework per leave year.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship or nationality.
At least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience applying industry-standard IT service management methodologies, such as KCS and ITIL, to improve ITSM processes and self-service capabilities, including developing procedures and documentation and leveraging automated or AI-enabled tools and platforms to enhance service delivery and knowledge management.
Specialized experience formulating, coordinating, and disseminating IT information across an organization, including communicating system status, developing technical and support documentation, and coordinating with stakeholders for accurate and reliable communications supporting mission-critical operations.
Specialized experience providing technical leadership to IT staff, including coordinating, assigning, and reviewing work; serving as a technical resource; and leading project or operational activities to meet service-delivery requirements and organizational objectives; OR experience exercising supervisory responsibilities over technical staff, including planning, directing, assigning, and reviewing work; setting priorities and schedules; evaluating performance; resolving operational issues; and providing guidance.
Demonstrated IT-related competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Information Management, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Technical Competency.
Demonstrated supervisory competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Problem Solving, Resilience, and Written Communication.
Pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
Register for Selective Service if applicable.
Meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the announcement closing date.
Complete a one-year probationary period if required, including a possible supervisory probationary period.

Responsibilities

Direct branch work in alignment with executive goals and agency expectations.
Lead enterprise IT customer support and service desk operations for mission-critical systems, hardware, and software.
Advance self-service and AI-enabled capabilities and improve ITSM processes, knowledge management, and operational efficiency using methodologies such as KCS and ITIL.
Formulate, coordinate, and disseminate IT information across the organization, including system status updates and technical and support documentation.
Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable communications in support of mission-critical operations.
Drive process improvement and identify and implement automation, standardization, and emerging technologies to improve timely, reliable, and cost-effective service delivery.
Provide technical leadership to IT staff, including coordinating, assigning, and reviewing work; serving as a technical resource; and leading project or operational activities.
Supervise technical staff by planning, directing, assigning, and reviewing work; setting priorities and schedules; evaluating performance; resolving operational issues; and providing guidance.
Foster an empowered, high-performing team.