IP Attaché: International IP & Trade Advisor (Shanghai)
USPTO, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
***This is a dream job if you love to travel, meet new people, get energized by challenging and creative work, and have a passion for public service!***
We're seeking an IP attorney advisor in
Shanghai, China
under the Foreign Commercial Service Senior Commercial Officer and USPTO intellectual property (IP) attaché Program Director. This unique opportunity gives you the chance to live and work abroad while advocating for the benefit of U.S. stakeholders to improve policies, laws, and regulations that protect IP abroad! This opportunity has a two (2) year tour of duty. One (1) year extension(s) up to a maximum of five (5) years is possible, however, extensions are not guaranteed and no promise of an extension is implied. >> APPLY ON USAJOBS by 3/30/2026, if this sounds like an exciting opportunity for you >> LEARN MORE about a career as an IP attaché Duties: Serves as an expert in intellectual property, as well as international trade, legislative procedures and executive branch decision making related to intellectual property. Promotes high standards of intellectual property protection and enforcement in host country and/or region. In doing so, the incumbent carries out U. S. objectives to promote improvements in patent, trademark, and copyright legal systems internationally for the benefit of U. S. interests. The incumbent develops, in consultation with the appropriate USPTO representatives, strategic plans for engaging countries in the region to improve their intellectual property regimes. Serves as the United States Patent and Trademark Office representative on U. S. delegations to international meetings on intellectual property to develop international agreements, revise existing agreements or address implementation of agreements and treaties. Responsible for program areas of international trade and intellectual property; and identifies and addresses impediments affecting the program areas. Exercises managerial authority over Locally Employed Staff. Work may also involve: Recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amend legislation. Qualifications You must have a minimum of four (4) years of professional legal/law experience and one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of a GS-14 in the Federal Service. Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to clearly demonstrate the required professional law experience, specialized experience and knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Ability to supervise, manage and oversee a subordinate staff engaged in legal work. Ability to write a variety of documents including policy, speeches, talking points, briefs, and options. Ability to provide succinct, timely and comprehensive reports, both orally and in writing. Knowledge of foreign and domestic intellectual property laws, the effect of U. S. political relationships and positions with respect to other countries on the protection of intellectual property internationally, foreign and domestic laws affecting the rights of the U. S. citizens and foreign national s and/or international agreements, treaties, etc., including business or economic matters affecting the same Ability to prepare expert legal analysis on intellectual property issues developing in the host country and region. Ability to express orally and in writing complex legal issues and interrelationships of public policy interests and issues impacting agency programs. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with high-level officials. Must have a minimum of four (4) years of general law practice and one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of a GS-14 in the Federal Service. Professional Legal/Law Experience for all attorneys is characterized by: Breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organization; Preparing interpretative and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; Drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; Drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; Editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; Drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; Conducting investigations to obtain facts; determining questions of law; studying, analyzing and evaluating legal precedents, to present findings. Legal work is described as extremely as: Extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; Having broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and May involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization. Specialized experience: Experience demonstrating knowledge of all fields of Intellectual Property (IP) and International IP agreements; Experience assisting in and/or devising the correct strategy for resolving complex issues by applying sound knowledge of the fields of foreign policy, international trade and IP; Strong communication skills to liaise with local contracts and work closely with appropriate Consulate officials on developments; Experience providing guidance and assistance in negotiating on IP matters in bilateral and/or multilateral settings; Experience planning, organizing, and/or executing training and outreach programs on complex IP issues; Experience providing guidance and assistance on the basic principals governing protection of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets and/or treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in order to monitor foreign governments' implementation of trade agreements and to assess foreign governments' compliance with international trade obligations; Experience supervising professional staff and managing resources in a technical or legal organization; AND Experience demonstrating of U. S. statutes, regulations, decisions, and policies and international agreements pertaining to international trade and intellectual property to enable development of proposals or recommendations that may alter (e.g., improve property protection for U. S. interests) domestic and international law on international property or affect the role or operation of the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Education You must have a graduate degree, with an LL.M. or J. D. from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association, or a State Accredited Law School, and be a current member in good standing of the bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The full list of qualifications and requirements can be found on the USAJOBS posting. Conditions of Employment Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals. If selected, you will be required to pass a background investigation. The full list of conditions and qualifications can be found on the job announcement. 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.
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Shanghai, China
under the Foreign Commercial Service Senior Commercial Officer and USPTO intellectual property (IP) attaché Program Director. This unique opportunity gives you the chance to live and work abroad while advocating for the benefit of U.S. stakeholders to improve policies, laws, and regulations that protect IP abroad! This opportunity has a two (2) year tour of duty. One (1) year extension(s) up to a maximum of five (5) years is possible, however, extensions are not guaranteed and no promise of an extension is implied. >> APPLY ON USAJOBS by 3/30/2026, if this sounds like an exciting opportunity for you >> LEARN MORE about a career as an IP attaché Duties: Serves as an expert in intellectual property, as well as international trade, legislative procedures and executive branch decision making related to intellectual property. Promotes high standards of intellectual property protection and enforcement in host country and/or region. In doing so, the incumbent carries out U. S. objectives to promote improvements in patent, trademark, and copyright legal systems internationally for the benefit of U. S. interests. The incumbent develops, in consultation with the appropriate USPTO representatives, strategic plans for engaging countries in the region to improve their intellectual property regimes. Serves as the United States Patent and Trademark Office representative on U. S. delegations to international meetings on intellectual property to develop international agreements, revise existing agreements or address implementation of agreements and treaties. Responsible for program areas of international trade and intellectual property; and identifies and addresses impediments affecting the program areas. Exercises managerial authority over Locally Employed Staff. Work may also involve: Recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amend legislation. Qualifications You must have a minimum of four (4) years of professional legal/law experience and one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of a GS-14 in the Federal Service. Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to clearly demonstrate the required professional law experience, specialized experience and knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Ability to supervise, manage and oversee a subordinate staff engaged in legal work. Ability to write a variety of documents including policy, speeches, talking points, briefs, and options. Ability to provide succinct, timely and comprehensive reports, both orally and in writing. Knowledge of foreign and domestic intellectual property laws, the effect of U. S. political relationships and positions with respect to other countries on the protection of intellectual property internationally, foreign and domestic laws affecting the rights of the U. S. citizens and foreign national s and/or international agreements, treaties, etc., including business or economic matters affecting the same Ability to prepare expert legal analysis on intellectual property issues developing in the host country and region. Ability to express orally and in writing complex legal issues and interrelationships of public policy interests and issues impacting agency programs. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with high-level officials. Must have a minimum of four (4) years of general law practice and one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of a GS-14 in the Federal Service. Professional Legal/Law Experience for all attorneys is characterized by: Breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organization; Preparing interpretative and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; Drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; Drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; Editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; Drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; Conducting investigations to obtain facts; determining questions of law; studying, analyzing and evaluating legal precedents, to present findings. Legal work is described as extremely as: Extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; Having broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and May involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization. Specialized experience: Experience demonstrating knowledge of all fields of Intellectual Property (IP) and International IP agreements; Experience assisting in and/or devising the correct strategy for resolving complex issues by applying sound knowledge of the fields of foreign policy, international trade and IP; Strong communication skills to liaise with local contracts and work closely with appropriate Consulate officials on developments; Experience providing guidance and assistance in negotiating on IP matters in bilateral and/or multilateral settings; Experience planning, organizing, and/or executing training and outreach programs on complex IP issues; Experience providing guidance and assistance on the basic principals governing protection of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets and/or treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in order to monitor foreign governments' implementation of trade agreements and to assess foreign governments' compliance with international trade obligations; Experience supervising professional staff and managing resources in a technical or legal organization; AND Experience demonstrating of U. S. statutes, regulations, decisions, and policies and international agreements pertaining to international trade and intellectual property to enable development of proposals or recommendations that may alter (e.g., improve property protection for U. S. interests) domestic and international law on international property or affect the role or operation of the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Education You must have a graduate degree, with an LL.M. or J. D. from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association, or a State Accredited Law School, and be a current member in good standing of the bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The full list of qualifications and requirements can be found on the USAJOBS posting. Conditions of Employment Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals. If selected, you will be required to pass a background investigation. The full list of conditions and qualifications can be found on the job announcement. 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.
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