Skip to main content
Patent and Trademark Office logo

Initial Processing Division Operations Manager

Patent and Trademark Office

Alexandria, VAFull-time$122–158K/yrPosted 2w ago

See where you stand before you apply. No sign-up to start.

You apply on the posting's application page, with no Olive account needed.

Watch jobs like this.

Don't just apply. Show up ready.

Olive works from this exact posting.

At a glance

Compensation
$122–158K/yr
Location
Alexandria, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Job overview

The Initial Processing Division Operations Manager is located in the USPTO’s Office of Patent Application Processing in Alexandria, Virginia. The role monitors division progress and workload, addresses work problems raised by subordinate supervisors, and plans major operational changes. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12, including workflow improvement, performance monitoring and corrective action, and developing performance standards and reviewing employee evaluations.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Workflow Improvement, requiredOrganizational Productivity, requiredPerformance Monitoring, requiredCorrective Action, requiredPerformance Standards, requiredEmployee Evaluation, requiredPersonnel Recommendations, requiredAccountability, nice to haveCustomer Service, nice to haveDecisiveness, nice to haveFlexibility, nice to haveInterpersonal Skills, nice to haveProblem Solving, nice to haveResilience, nice to have

Qualifications

One Year Specialized Experience, requiredGS-12 Equivalent Experience, required

Benefits

Relocation Assistance

Full job description

Summary

This position is located in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of the Commissioner for Patents, Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Office of Patent Application Processing (OPAP), Initial Processing Division (IDP).

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year. The individual selected for this position will be... Monitoring the progress of the Division towards goals, evaluating overall accomplishments, and making appropriate adjustments. Identifying, distributing and balancing workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established workflow, skill level and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion. Making decisions on work problems presented by subordinate supervisors; developing performance standards and evaluating subordinate supervisors. Planning and coordinating implementation of major changes resulting from reengineering, automation, new rules and requirements which often represent a significant departure from routine and established review, examination, and processing procedures. 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 General Schedule Qualification Standards. Specialized Experience is 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, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12 in the Federal service: Specialized experience for this position includes: Improving workflows to increase organizational productivity or service delivery; AND Monitoring performance against established goals and implementing corrective actions; AND Developing performance standards, reviewing employee evaluations, and recommending personnel actions involving selections, training needs, and awards. 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

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official, due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13105671 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 ([email protected]) or phone (571-272-8292). Other Information

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. If selected for this position, you may be required to complete the Fair Credit Act Memo, which gives consent so that one or more consumer credit reports may be obtained for employment purposes. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate risk". 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. Supervisory Probationary Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial one-year supervisory 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. CTAP 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 eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: OPM CTAP. CTAP 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

How this job compares

Set against the 8,026 open Operations Manager jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$122–158K/yr
  • Virginia median$86–125K/yr161 salary ranges
  • US median$84–115K/yr4,799 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $140K, is 35% above the Virginia median midpoint ($104K) — in the middle half of Operations Manager salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 228 open Operations Manager jobs in Virginia and 8,026 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Operations Manager postings that state a minimum ask for (median 4 years, across 6,088 postings).
Education
1,566 of the 8,026 open Operations Manager jobs (20%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

Prepare for this role

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.