Client Advisor (two posts)

The Client Advisor serves as a focal point for small or medium sized clients providing customer services and carrying out complex processing and examination duties for international patent applications in at least two languages. The role involves liaising with Intellectual Property Offices, examining formalities, ensuring high-quality customer service, and contributing to improvements in PCT operations.

Responsibilities

• Liaise and communicate with Intellectual Property Offices, including the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), to strengthen cooperation and collaboration with WIPO.
• Serve as focal point for small and medium sized clients, analyzing frequent defects, providing proactive advice and dedicated trainings to ensure a high level of customer service.
• Examine formality requirements of international applications and related documents and correspondence, in particular those filed in Chinese, ensuring conformity with set standards and timely follow-up as required. In the case of unusual/contentious formalities issues, forward to Team Head for further instruction. Monitor the late and non-payment of fees and take appropriate action (e.g. block application, send reminder).
• Ensure a high level of customer services to users, reply to complex queries and find solutions to problems, including those relating to ePCT, in a timely manner. Liaise with PCT users and authorities and provide follow-up as required.
• Assist in sorting, identifying, prioritizing and distributing work within the team in accordance with established guidelines. Ensure work items are completed within deadlines and make proposals to improve and rationalize workflows and work processes based on quantitative and qualitative targets. Follow up as necessary.
• Carry out publication preparation and review work; ensure publication and republication work assignments are in final format for international publication within established deadlines; and inform Team Head of delays or other issues.
• Participate in testing PCT electronic systems and tools, with a view to proposing improvements and contributing to its further enhancement.
• Participate in presentations on PCT operations practices in missions and meetings. Keep abreast of changes in established procedures, rules, regulations, work processes and relevant IT tools. Train and coach junior and new staff. Provide input on ongoing developments with respect to the PCT system including IT tools and PCT rule changes.
• Perform other related tasks as required.

Requirements

• First-level university degree.
• At least three years of relevant professional experience with patents, including in an IP office or comparable working environment.
• Excellent written and spoken knowledge of English and Chinese.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with people from the technical and business field.
• Excellent understanding of the PCT and ability to explain or provide training on the rules, regulations and procedures governing the area of work.
• Ability to use IT tools and systems used for data capture and transmission, quality control and customer services.
• Client orientation, with the ability to deliver high quality client services with a focus on improving service execution, delivery and outcomes.
• Results-oriented.
• Excellent time management and work organization skills; highly adaptable to new environments, tasks and demands.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Integrity in dealing with confidential and sensitive data.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Skills

• Patent Examination
• PCT Rules Knowledge
• Client Service Delivery
• IP Office Experience
• Bilingual Communication
• Data Capture Technology
• Quality Control
• Customer Service
• Training Delivery
• Time Management
• Work Organization
• Analytical Skills
• Problem Solving
• Confidential Information Handling
• Interpersonal Skills
• Multicultural Sensitivity
• IT Tools Usage

Languages

English, Chinese