Investigative Researcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description:

Global Patent Solutions, LLC (GPS) has grown to become one of the nation's leading intellectual property (IP) research and consulting firms. In addition to supporting the nation's leading technology companies and IP law firms, GPS is a premier provider of IP-related services to the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

Our ongoing success and growth is creating the need for us to expand our Team. Specifically, we are presently seeking motivated Investigative Analysts to work with us performing investigative research services in support of a contract with the Trademark Office at the USPTO. The Trademark Office has experienced a historic surge of new trademark filings over the past year, and they have also seen an increase in suspicious trademark application submissions ranging from inaccurate to fraudulent. As part of their response to these challenges, the USPTO is engaging support from GPS to provide a solution. This is an opportunity to leverage your experience and background to assist the USPTO's efforts to protect the integrity and accuracy of the trademark registry and keep the system effective for everyone. In addition to the immediate opportunity this position affords today, the knowledge you will gain, and the skills employed while performing this job, will position you well for future IP career opportunities. Come grow with us!

Responsibilities:

The individual in this role will need to be able to work independently and manage multiple concurrent priorities, with minimal oversight. It is expected that the individual, once trained, will be able to prioritize their own work to ensure all quality and timeliness commitments are met to the full satisfaction of our customer (the USPTO). It is also anticipated that this position will provide oversight, mentoring, and guidance for less senior Investigative Analysts. Specific accountabilities include:

* Reviewing incident reports, such as fraud and other law violations, strategizing on effective ways to minimize losses and prevent misconduct reoccurrence

* Collecting evidence, including documents and interviews to support their claims and record their findings

* Working with attorneys, and other USPTO personnel to research and investigate improper trademark filing activities and to provide analysis related to research, investigations, and trends in such activities

* Performing computer-based analysis of data for investigative cases relating to trademark application/registration filing activities, including the use of electronic databases, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, word processing, statistical applications and specialized software applications to manage, analyze, and present data, research findings, and investigative information

* Gathering, organizing, and analyzing facts and evidence from trademark application/registration records, internally-generated reports, public records, and other available sources relating to improper trademark filing activities

* Drafting, reviewing, and delivering reports related to research, investigations, and trends in improper filing activities, and maintaining associated records

* Developing, advising on, and implementing investigative strategies to identify, mitigate, reduce, or eliminate improper trademark application/registration filing activities

* Reviewing or developing processes, managing multiple competing priorities, and developing and delivering recommendations for resolving and addressing substantive problems related to improper trademark filing activities to senior managers and executive leadership

* Acting as an investigative liaison to other USPTO business units to facilitate the exchange of information and participating as a member in relevant USPTO taskforces and working groups

* Participating in interagency working groups and occasionally representing the Trademarks Organization before relevant stakeholder groups on issues relating to analysis and research relating to improper trademark filing activities

Overarching Expectations:

• Quality: For GPS, quality is at the pinnacle of the work we perform. Employees must share in our belief and commitment of providing the highest quality of work.
• Timeliness: Meeting agreed upon deadlines will be vital to success.
• Continuous Improvement: Employees must be committed to continuous improvement, availing themselves of training and educational resources provided by GPS, the USPTO, and/or otherwise publicly available.
• Teamwork:Lead by example. Exemplify the positive attributes necessary to create and maintain a culture committed to high performance and support for both individual and collective team-member success.
• Leadership: Provide guidance and oversight to less senior support personnel. This includes performing quality reviews and providing guidance, training, mentorship and feedback.

Experience:

GPS is seeking support personnel who have knowledge and experience in U.S. Trademark prosecution.

• At a minimum, personnel should have at least 4 years of relevant experience and familiarization with the statutes, regulations, and processes governing Trademarks, including the Trademark Act, the Trademark Rules of Practice, and the TMEP.
• Must be a US Citizen or have been in the US for at least 2 years
• While not required, additional experience in non-IP areas that involve investigating addresses, entity structures and individuals, such as bankruptcy and collections, would be beneficial.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 4 years job experience; Bachelor's Degree required
• Must be a U.S. citizen or reside in the U.S for the most recent two years as a work-eligible legal resident. (Employment will be subject to security clearance.)
• Excellent time management skills to properly plan and complete all work on-time.
• Proficiency with computer databases, online research tools, spreadsheets and word processing software
• Detail-oriented, with excellent written and oral communication skills
• Exceptional research and analytical skills
• Ability to investigate facts and laws of cases, search public records and other resources to prepare cases and determine causes of action