13 Management Titles You Can Use for New Positions

Updated March 10, 2023

If you work in human resources or recruiting, it's important to know how to create titles for new job positions. Accurate management titles help potential candidates find these opportunities and understand the role they play within your organization. Understanding the different options available to you and how to use them can help you assign titles to new positions more effectively.

In this article, we discuss management titles and list 13 titles to use when describing or creating management roles at your organization.

What is a management title?

A management title is a label given to individuals who hold leadership roles within an organization. These titles help show the hierarchy of positions within an organization, defining how much power they hold. For example, a director has more responsibilities and decision-making power than the assistant director. Management titles also define what individuals do. For example, a social media manager is responsible for overseeing a company's social media practices and strategies.

When HR and recruitment professionals advertise job openings, they work with leaders to assign appropriate job titles. They need to ensure that these titles accurately describe the role and its position within the organization. This accuracy is also important because it makes it easier for candidates to find the positions they're seeking. For example, an individual with several years of management experience looking to advance their career may prefer to apply to a director position rather than a specialist role.

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Which management titles should you use for new positions?

You can use the following list as guidance to better understand 13 different management titles and which to use when creating or advertising job openings:

1. Lead

Defining a job title as a "lead" demonstrates that the individual manages that area of work within the organization. For example, a lead programmer is responsible for overseeing programming projects and activities. These individuals often represent the point of contact for other departments regarding projects. They may lead teams during projects and monitor their progress to meet stakeholders' requirements and deadlines. While they may have more responsibilities than their colleagues, they often don't hold authority or decision-making power over them.

2. Team lead

A team lead is responsible for managing a team of employees. Because of this additional level of responsibility, they may have more decision-making power related to setting goals for the team or assigning duties and shifts for team members. Team leads still hold less authority than a manager, who can make employment and strategic decisions. For example, if a team lead encounters issues with their team members, they often must meet with their department's manager or supervisor to pursue disciplinary actions.

3. Coordinator

The responsibilities of a coordinator vary depending on the specific role. You can use this job title within several departments, such as marketing coordinator, sales coordinator or program coordinator. Like team leads, these professionals oversee specific projects or day-to-day tasks but don't hold significant decision-making power over their department.

For example, the communications coordinator at a company may be responsible for creating and delivering a monthly company newsletter. Meanwhile, the communications director oversees all communications activities and strategies for the company. Some organizations use this title for entry-level roles, but you can emphasize its management responsibilities when advertising such openings.

4. Senior

Like lead or coordinator, a senior title represents a middle-to-low management position. Senior employees typically have more experience or advanced skills and knowledge than their colleagues, giving them more responsibilities. However, they don't typically have authority over them. For example, a senior financial analyst might help upper-level management staff make company-wide financial decisions, while a financial analyst focuses on performing day-to-day tasks. You can also combine the senior title with other management titles, such as a senior marketing coordinator.

5. Supervisor

The supervisor title represents a middle management role that manages a group of employees. They often supervise the daily operations of a specific team or department and report to an upper-level manager. Some organizations, such as retail stores or warehouses, have shift supervisors who oversee the employees during specific shifts.

Rather than implementing strategies, these professionals supervise the execution of employees' tasks and projects. They might assign duties, create schedules, monitor employee performance and train new hires. As middle management employees, they serve as a liaison between employees and the management team, helping relay information between them.

6. Assistant manager

An assistant manager reports to a manager, though their responsibilities can vary depending on the organization. Assistant managers often help oversee a specific department, though you can also find assistant managers of retail stores or restaurants. As their name suggests, they support a manager with their day-to-day duties and responsibilities.

The manager can provide instructions to the assistant manager related to employees or operational activities, who executes them. They may work more closely with employees than the manager by overseeing their work, providing support and evaluating their performance.

7. Manager

The role of a manager can vary depending on the organization, as this may represent a lower, middle or upper-level management title. You can create manager roles for specific departments or the entire organization, depending on its size. This job title signals that individuals have significant authority and decision-making power. For example, they can make hiring and firing decisions, set goals for their department and implement strategies. Managers may also develop employee training standards and programs to ensure they perform their jobs effectively and meet departmental goals.

8. Senior manager

A senior manager often holds many of the same responsibilities as a manager. However, this title signals that the person in this role holds more authority over the manager in their department. For example, a manager who wants to fire an employee in their department may have to discuss the situation with the senior manager to gain their approval. Some organizations may promote managers by giving them the senior manager title, though their duties may not change significantly.

9. Assistant director

Much like an assistant manager, an assistant director supports the director of a department or organization. Some organizations also have associate director roles, which hold seniority over assistant directors. Assistant directors manage daily operations rather than making high-level decisions that affect the organization or department. They might oversee the initiatives or plans implemented by the director to monitor employees' work and progress toward goals.

10. Director

A director represents a senior management role within an organization or department. Compared to managers, who oversee day-to-day operations, directors are responsible for setting high-level strategies and objectives that affect the entire department or company. For example, you may have a company director who oversees the entire operations or a director of finance who manages the finance department.

Due to their significant level of responsibility and authority, these professionals often must meet higher education or experience requirements than managers. They direct company-wide activities while the managers ensure that their employees meet those goals. Directors are often also responsible for developing and monitoring budgets or allocating resources to departments.

11. Vice president

Depending on the organization, a vice president may represent an upper- or executive-level role. These professionals often report to the president or CEO and oversee several departments or divisions of an organization. They help implement goals and strategies set by the executive-level staff to support the organization's success. Vice presidents may also represent the company publicly and ensure the organization pursues its mission and maintains its vision and values through its activities.

Some organizations define varying levels of vice presidents, such as assistant vice president, senior vice president and executive vice president. Their level of authority and responsibility varies depending on their title. For example, senior or executive-level vice presidents might work directly with C-level staff members to make organizational decisions. All vice president roles typically require extensive management experience and training.

12. President

The president title also represents an upper or executive-level role. Depending on the organization, the president may serve a similar role as a chief operating officer and report to the chief executive officer. The president helps develop an organization's vision and mission, then executes strategies to achieve those objectives. They focus on high-level initiatives rather than day-to-day operations.

Rather than directly overseeing the workforce, they meet with managers to discuss their departments, budgets and progress toward goals. They can also set standards for the organization related to management style or employee training to create a positive and effective work environment.

13. Executive

Executive titles represent the highest-ranking leadership roles within an organization. These professionals often receive larger salaries and make high-level decisions for the company. A chief executive officer (CEO), for example, is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and setting the direction of their company. They also often serve as a public face of the company, speaking with external stakeholders and announcing significant news or initiatives. This executive-level role often holds a position above other C-level members, such as:

Chief financial officer (CFO)
Chief operating officer (COO)
Chief information officer (CIO)
Chief technology officer (CTO)
Chief marketing officer (CMO)
Chief administrative officer (CAO)
Chief risk officer (CRO)

Individuals who hold executive-level roles often have graduate degrees relevant to their fields, such as a master's degree in business administration, finance or technology management. Their responsibilities vary depending on their C-level title. For example, the CIO oversees and manages a company's IT strategy while a CMO manages its marketing activities and strategies. Some organizations combine the "executive" title with other management roles to signal their authority, such as executive director, executive vice president or executive manager.