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Working for IPO

Career opportunities and workplace benefits at IPO.

You can apply for a job with IPO on the civil service job site.

The IPO is a Diversity Champions member – we’re part of Britain’s leading best-practice employers’ forum for sexual orientation and gender identity equality, diversity and inclusion.

Careers in IPO

Our staff work in a broad range of jobs including:

  • patent examining
  • information technology
  • project management
  • policy
  • legal work
  • casework
  • finance
  • customer care
  • marketing and communications
  • human resources
  • administration

We are an equal opportunities employer.

Location

We have a small office in the heart of London, but our main office is on the outskirts of Newport, South Wales.

Just off junction 28 of the M4 motorway, there’s easy access for motorists. However the more environmentally conscious can also benefit from excellent public transport links - we are only 3 miles from Newport train station, on a main bus route and on a national cycle route.

The City of Newport, with a population of over 137,000, has the Wetlands Reserve, Newport International Sports Village and The Celtic Manor resort, which hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, with its top quality shopping, entertainment and visitor attractions, is only 12 miles away.

We are right next door to the Tredegar House Country Park, to which staff even get their own access gate! The south Wales coast offers some of the best beaches and surf in the country and some of the best mountain biking centres in Europe are nearby.

Working hours

A standard working day is 7 hours and 24 minutes the working week is 37 hours excluding lunch breaks. We offer a flexible working system. You can work between 5am and 10pm and there are no core hours.

Leave

Full-time staff will receive 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.

Workplace benefits

Benefits of working with us:

  • a flexible working scheme which has no core hours and excellent opportunities for home, part-time and term-time working
  • a very generous pension scheme, with low employee contributions
  • eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments, as well as performance related pay
  • subsidised childcare and salary sacrifice scheme
  • excellent development opportunities
  • opportunities for secondments, both internal and external
  • access to the Beneden Medical care
  • 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 our Newport office the following benefits are also available:

  • free car parking on site or close by
  • use of facilities that we share with ONS. These include an on-site gymnasium, branch of Costa Coffee, shop, restaurant, cash point and hairdressers

Please note benefits may be subject to change.

Corporate social responsibility

We are one of the largest employers in Newport and have links with local businesses and voluntary networks. We work in partnership with a number of organisations, schools and further education establishments. We allow up to 6 days per person each year to volunteer for good causes. The following events are typical of the type of thing we get involved with:

Work experience visits

The Office coordinates one-week work experience placements for 15 to 16-year-old students from local schools. Staff from selected areas work with the pupils to provide them with better knowledge and understanding of the work undertaken at the IPO. This gives them a feel of working in an actual business environment and helps them to make more informed career choices.

Working with local schools

The Right to Read and Number Partner initiatives are designed to support primary school children with their reading and numeracy skills. Volunteers from the Office visit two local schools and provide extra support developing the skills of the pupils. The pupils benefit by having one-to-one attention. We also facilitate events at local secondary schools. Our volunteers work with the pupils providing business advice and help with mock interviews etc.

Princes Trust Programme

The aim of this programme is to help participants turn their life around, finding full-time education or employment. Volunteers mentor the students in-house on application forms, mock interviews, CV writing, skills assessments and feedback sessions. The office also helps those delivering the Princes Trust programme by providing IP awareness sessions.

Volunteering days

We provide opportunities for teams of volunteers to help with the local community projects. We take part in the annual Give and Gain national employee volunteering day organised by Business in the Community (BiTC).

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