Chief Data Officer

** The position may not require relocation to headquarters if applicant is within distance or willing to report to one of the Regional Offices. **

Empower America's Innovation Agency through data science and emerging technologies. At the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), we're seeking a technical expert to serve as Chief Data Officer to ensure data is managed as a valuable asset. The role will provide technical expertise in managing data as a strategic asset to enable evidence-building, data-driven activities, advanced analytics such as artificial intelligence (AI), drive business value, and ensure compliance with Federal laws and regulations at the USPTO.

Duties

• Data Strategy Development: Implementing a comprehensive USPTO-wide data strategy that aligns with the USPTO's goals and objectives, ensuring data is AI ready and managed to effectively drive business outcomes. This includes implementing the strategy and ensuring agency-wide alignment to the strategy.
• Data Management: Applying the operating model to manage a data asset throughout its lifecycle to ensure quality and standard data for effective use and improved evidence-based and data-driven decision-making. Ensuring that data is effectively managed throughout its lifecycle, implementing policies and practices that promote data integrity, security, and compliance with data governance and protection laws and other federal regulations.
• Data Governance: Serving on the Agency-wide data governance board with executive level representatives from across the USPTO; designing the Agency-wide operating model outlining how the USPTO organizes and manages its data. Establishing a logical grouping of data assets based on shared characteristics. Clearly outline data ownership and data asset accountability. Define and implement operating model roles and responsibilities within each USPTO business unit and for each logical grouping of data assets.
• Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating data-related risks, ensuring robust data security measures are in place to protect sensitive information. Partnering with other executives when data governance, data management, or data assets may mitigate business operations risks.
• Enable Data Analytics: Leading data analytics initiatives to extract insights from data, supporting decision-making processes across the organization, or assist other Business Units in accomplishing their data analytics goals. Using data analytics to manage data as an asset and uncover any gaps or inconsistencies in implementing data governance, data management, or data quality.
• Collaboration: Working closely with agency executives, senior leaders and experts, such as the Commissioners for Patents and Trademarks, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Performance Improvement Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer to manage the data lifecycle and identify opportunities for leveraging data to enhance business performance, drive digital transformation initiatives, and ensure that data strategies support overall business goals. Reviewing data asset accessibility and coordinate to reduce barriers that inhibit data asset accessibility for evidence building; facilitating maximum use of data in the USPTO, to produce evidence for policy, support cybersecurity, and improve operations.

>> APPLY on USAJOBS by 1/2/2026

>> LEARN MORE about the USPTO's comprehensive benefits

Qualifications

Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) for this position in their two-page resume:

• Knowledge of, and demonstrated experience with, the principles, procedures, and tools of data governance and data management, such as data assets, data operating models, data glossaries, data dictionaries, metadata standardization, and data lifecycle management.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing an enterprise data catalog. This includes experience creating and scaling data inventorying and cataloging operations, leading enterprise data governance through implementing roles and responsibilities in a data catalog, and promulgating data governance and data management policies and best practices across the enterprise to leverage data for maximum business value.

Education

Degree in Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

Conditions of Employment

Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals and your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies. If selected, you will be required to pass a background investigation.

The full list of conditions, qualifications, and requirements for the written statement can be found on the USAJOBS posting.

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.