Associate Patent Examiner

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 233671**Salary**:

- £27,375 - £31,775Maximum salary includes Recruitment Retention Allowance of £3,030. Scarce Skills Allowance of £4,040 may be available. Final salary package will be dependent on skills and level of experience

**Grade**:

- Executive Officer- B2**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- IPO - Patents Directorate**Type of role**:

- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Science**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time**Number of posts**:

- 5Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Newport, NP10 8QQAbout the job

**Summary**:
Currently, we are looking for people who have specific knowledge in one of the following technical fields:

- Telecommunications Engineering.
- Computer Systems Engineering, in particular technical knowledge in quantum computing, neural networks, security architectures, virtualised and cloud computing, fault-tolerant computing, hardware design and database technologies.

We are particularly interested in engineers with industrial experience in either area.

**Please note**: GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in Mathematics is also required.

**Working location**:
This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff will be expected to spend around 1 day per week on-site at our **Newport office.**

**Job description**:
Once the formal training period has ended, Associate Patent Examiners will begin working on live casework to continue to develop their skills and build their self-assurance to carry out the role:

- Communicate legally and technically complex concepts in writing and orally to internal and external audiences.
- Manage and prioritise workloads to work to agreed quality and productivity goals.
- Take responsibility for own development by acting on feedback, keeping technical skills up to date and developing wider behaviours where appropriate.

If you would like to read more about what it’s like to work at the IPO, check out our blog At a STEM career crossroads? Take the Patent Examiner route

**Responsibilities**:

- Please refer to job description.**Qualifications**:

- Please note: GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in Mathematics is also required.**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Changing and Improving
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing

**Technical skills**:
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

- General scientific understanding plus knowledge in one of the following fields: Telecommunications Engineering or Computer Systems Engineering.
- Understand and evaluate scientific and technical information and make decisions and reach conclusions quickly and accurately.

**Benefits**:
**Benefits of working with the wider IPO**:

- A very generous pension scheme with 27.1% employer Further information can be found around the benefits of joining the Civil Service can be found via the Civil Service Pension Scheme page;
- 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave;
- The opportunity to form part of our many inclusive network groups, find out more on Inclusive Features at the IPO
- A variety of support functions including our excellent Staff Counselling Service which is a source of support for all staff at the IPO
- A flexible working scheme which has no core hours and excellent opportunities for home, part-time and term-time working;
- Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
- Excellent development opportunities;
- Opportunities for secondments, both internal and external;
- Opportunities to join many civil-service clubs such as the Sports and Social Association, Motoring Club (CSMA), which provide numerous discounts to members

**When working at Concept House, Newport the following benefits are also available**:

- Free car parking is available on site;
- On-site facilities including gymnasium, shop, restaurant

Things you need to know

**Security**:- People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.**How to apply**:

- **Pre-sift testing**:

- Civil Service Verbal Test

**Applicants to note**:
There are no time limits for the completion of tests.

Full instructions will be given at the start of the test.

**Sift**:
This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:
**Technical**:
In the 250 word box provided, please evidence your knowledge in one of the following scientific fields:
**Interviews**:
If invited to interview Behaviour, Technical, Ability and Strength based questioning will be used.

**Behaviours**:
The be