Chief Financial Officer

Summary

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is headquartered in Alexandria, VA. The mission of the USPTO is to promote innovation and competitiveness by providing quality and timely examination and issuance of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property policy, and delivering intellectual property information and education worldwide.

This job is open to
The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Senior executives

Individuals looking for an executive-level job and who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

Duties

As Chief Financial Officer, the incumbent is responsible for the direction and management of all USPTO financial, budget, accounting, procurement, and internal controls. He/she provides administrative and policy direction to assigned organizations.

As Chief Financial Officer for the USPTO the incumbent will:

• Oversee all financial management activities relating to the USPTO programs and operations;
• Develop and maintain an integrated agency accounting and financial management system, including financial reporting and internal controls;
• Make recommendations to the Under Secretary and Director regarding the selection of the USPTO Deputy Chief Financial Officer;
• Direct, manage, and provide policy guidance and oversight of USPTO financial management personnel, activities and operations to achieve compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policy;
• Prepare and transmit annual performance accountability report;
• Monitor the financial execution of the budget of the agency in relation to actual expenditures, ensuring the accurate allocation of costs to their respective business line, and prepare and submit to the Under Secretary and Director timely cost and performance reports;
• Evaluate proposals for reprogramming of funds, advising USPTO leadership on appropriate compliance measures and ensuring that approved transfers of budget authority between budget accounts and allocations is consistent with reprogramming laws and regulations;
• Have access to all materials that relate to programs and operations with respect to which the CFO has responsibilities (except Inspector General materials not otherwise accessible under law).

Requirements
Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. To verify registration visit
• Required to successfully complete a 1-year SES probationary period (unless previously completed).
• A Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, and the supplemental form, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interest is required within 30 days after the selection for this position.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualifications (TQs), listed below. NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed and will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. If your resume does not demonstrate evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.

TQ 1: Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of and experience with a full range of financial management functions and responsibilities including budget development and execution, accounting principles and reporting, measuring organizational performance, operation of financial and related systems to support processes and internal management control.

TQ 2: Ability to effectively communicate financial, budgetary and procurement issues and information to audiences such as USPTO executives, Administration Officials, Congressional staff, and stakeholder groups.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQS): In addition to the Technical Qualification requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and Principles of the American Founding: Requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency: Involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ 3: Merit and Competence: Involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ 4: Leading People: Involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ 5: Achieving Results: Involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECQs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) or your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

Education

The educational requirement for this position.

Additional information

This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.

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.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit https://www.e-

Veteran's preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.

Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders and generally is a key to advancement. Therefore, applicants are expected to be mobile and once appointed SES members, may be reassigned at the discretion of the appointing authority.

OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, Schedule G, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political appointee, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, 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 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 () or phone

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Technical Qualifications (TQs) listed above. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your 2-page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position. The selected individual's application will be forwarded to OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. For more information regarding the SES, got to

Required Documents

A complete application includes items described below. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants.

1. RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to 2-pages pdf format no less than 11pt font and 0.8 margins, showing all relevant experience. Applicants seeking initial career appointment to the Senior Executive Service (SES) must include evidence of the ECQs and TQs.

2. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation if applicable:

3. CURRENT OR FORMER SES MEMBERS: Must provide your SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action (or equivalent)), or SF-50 showing career SES reinstatement eligibility.

4. SES CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (SESCDP) GRADUATES: Verification of successful completion of an OPM-approved SESCDP and OPM SES QRB certification.

5. CURRENT FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE: Must provide a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent.

6. ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBER: Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service.

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

How to Apply

You must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date.

• Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in or create an account. Then prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application".

• Add your two-page resume.

• Select the documents you want to be included in this application.

• Review the package to acknowledge that your documents were reviewed.

• After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."

• Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.

• Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing documents or optional documents.

• Review and Submit Application.

• While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.

• You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.

Agency contact information

Isis Thomas

Phone

Email

Address

EXRD - Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Office of Human Resources

Mail Stop 171

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, VA

US

Next steps

The USPTO will conduct a qualifications evaluation of applicants who submit the required material. Qualified applicants will be rated and ranked by an executive-level rating panel. Best-qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome after the completion of the selection process.

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

11/05/2025 to 12/08/2025

Salary

$208,364 to - $225,700 per year

Pay scale & grade

ES 00

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Alexandria, VA

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

Yes—Situational Telework Program

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Senior Executive

Promotion potential

00

Job family (Series)

• 0505 Financial Management

Supervisory status

Yes

Security clearance

Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test

Yes

Position sensitivity and risk

Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness
• National security

Financial disclosure

Yes

Bargaining unit status

No

Announcement number

EXRD-OCFO

Control number

---