Senior Trade Mark & Geographical Indications (‘GIs’) Examiner
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Tēnei Tūranga – About the role
The Senior Trade Mark Examiner role primarily involves the examination of trade mark applications under the Trade Marks Act 2002 and Trade Mark Regulations 2003, including the application of relevant trade mark practices and policies, case law and international treaties.
The role may also involve the examination of applications for Geographical Indications (‘GIs’) under the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006 and Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Regulations 2017.
The role has a strong knowledge leadership component, and training and coaching elements on matters relating to the application of trade mark law, examination practice and process. The role contributes significantly to ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance, providing effective client service and supporting the manager in building overall performance and capability within the team.
Ngā Herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
A proven track record of experience and achievement in:
- Ability to understand and apply relevant Trade Mark & GIs legislation
- Ability to use specialist proprietary databases and to quickly assess relevance of complex information
- Technical expertise and leadership
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Proven ability to coach and mentor examiners
- Emotional Intelligence
- Effective decision making and time management skills
- Relevant tertiary qualification or extensive and comparable relevant experience
- Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
Takohanga Tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Critical Areas of Success
- Examine trade mark applications to assess compliance with the Trade Marks Act 2002 and the Trade Marks Regulations 2003; and in accordance with the delegated functions of the Commissioner (Trade marks Act 2002, sections 175A & 175C), including:
- drafting and issuing examination reports
- provide preliminary advice and search advice to enable the requestor to determine the merits of filing a trade mark application.
- assessing responses to examination reports (including proposed amendments and arguments)
- re-examination
- other duties and responsibilities relating to the register of trade marks
- Examination meets agreed quantity and quality standards, and complies with business processes.
- Complete more complex examination tasks, including the examination of evidence provided in support of trade mark applications and the examination of certification trade marks
- Use of the IPONZ case management facility and other examination tools, such overseas trade mark office databases.
- Provide leadership, coaching support and feedback to team members.
- Liaising with applicants and agents and the Māori Trade Marks Advisory Committee, and developing and maintaining effective relationships.
- Ensure quality trade mark information is provided for the trade mark register, the journal, and other related functions.
- Examine GIs where required.
- Prioritise own work queue to ensure timely completion of allocated work.
Support capability development
- Maintain personal knowledge of trade mark law, technical knowledge and/or area of expertise, and IPONZ systems and processes.
- Ensure that current knowledge of intellectual property case law, policy and practice is readily shared across the team.
- Provide oversight of the work of associate trade mark examiners under their direct supervision by providing daily quality control of their work, assisting them in their workflow management, and communicating workflow risks to Team Leaders.
- Provide daily coaching, mentoring and feedback to associate trade mark examiners under their direct supervision, follow up training where required, and communicate regular development feedback to Team Leaders to support career progression
- Actively contribute and participate in developing and expanding technical knowledge and capability across the team through providing advice and support to assist examiners to resolve complex examination issues.
- Contribute to the continuous general review of both trade mark, and GI, examination practice, processes and policies, including collaborating in the review and drafting of examination guidelines to ensure currency and accuracy. Ensure resulting changes are reflected in training materials.
Contribution to quality processes and outcomes
- Contribute to the maintenance of quality management systems to ensure the examination team is meeting the agreed quality, consistency and timeframe standards, and meeting required outputs and business objectives.
- Contribute to the maintenance and review of systems and processes to maintain effective service delivery by actively monitoring and providing feedback on the effectiveness.
Personal Leadership
- Model the desired values and culture of MBIE and positive leadership behaviours.
- Provide constructive feedback to others and pass on skill and knowledge to examiners.
- Lead, coach and motivate examiners and support the Team Leaders and Manager in assessing individual performance and training need.
- Encourage quality, on-going learning and knowledge sharing within the team and providing formal structured and informal training.
- Work co-operatively and effectively to achieve the teams and IPONZ goals.
- Participate in team discussions; raise issues in appropriate forums and in an appropriate manner and assist in the identification of solutions and resolutions
- Ensure communications with stakeholders are effective and appropriate
Wellbeing, Health & Safety
- Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives
- Ensures own and others safety at all times
- Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting
- Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion
- Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation
Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū - Your place in the Ministry
The Senior Trade Mark Examiner position reports into a Team Leader, Trade Marks in IPONZ, in the Business & Consumer branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.
To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand
Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.
To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.
As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).
Ngā matatau – Our competencies
Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.
Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.
Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.
Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.
Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.
Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.
Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service
Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.
In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.
What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission
