Intellectual Property Specialist

Job holder is the principal advisor on all aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for the institutions of the European Union, the European Court of Justice, the European Patent Office, the Member States of the European Economic Area and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Duties include but are not limited to:

USPTO Program Design and Management

• Participates in the formulation of Post’s action plan for USPTO’s mission of promoting strong and balanced standards of IPR protection and enforcement in the host countries and at the OECD.
• Identifies IPR issues to be advocated for by the U.S. Government (USG) in host countries.
• Participates in the formation of the USPTO headquarters Master Action Plan for Europe, and provides input into the IP Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) Joint Strategic Plan, and Special 301 review of nominated countries.
• Works with host governments and assesses, strategizes, and identifies solutions to improve IPR regimes.
• Is key advisor at briefing sessions with U.S. officials and business executives on IPR issues in Europe and the OECD.
• Works with the Ambassador, the team at Post, and the regional team at USPTO headquarters to coordinate advocacy of USG positions on key IPR issues in the region.

Monitoring, Reporting, and analysis

• Monitors, analyzes, and provides expert-level reporting on legislative and policy developments relating to IPR protection, enforcement, and administration.
• Monitors, analyzes, and provides expert-level reporting on judicial and administrative decisions relating to IPR protection, enforcement, and administration, by reviewing judgments at the European Court of Justice and in EEA Member States’ Supreme Court, Appellate, and District Court levels.
• Conducts independent research on complex legal issues and host government policies, and provides summaries on issues likely to affect US interests.
• Assists with IPR programming and advocacy in the region, including in trade agreement negotiations, and provides comments for incorporation in official USG responses to pending host country legislation or other structural legal amendments.
• Prepares briefing materials for high level USG officials.
• Drafts IPR toolkits and other documents to help stakeholders and U.S. businesses understand the laws and regulations of the host countries.

Outreach, Contacts, and Developing Tools for Supporting Overall Activities of USPTO in the Region

• Develops and maintains contacts with senior officials in EU institutions and EEA host governments and maintains contact with USG officials in Embassies and Consulates in Europe.
• Advises and assists in identifying areas of cooperation, organizes and attends meetings with government officials and industry representatives, providing support and serving as interpreter.
• Capacity Building, Education, and Programs Identifies opportunities and partners, arranges and participates in programs to educate stakeholders about IPR issues.
• Delivers lectures and prepares speeches for USPTO and other USG officials.

Interested candidates must submit their application - in English - through the website of the U.S. Embassy: http://belgium.usembassy.gov/jobs.html by September 21, 2016.