Non-English Executive Titles: How International Titles Map to U.S. Levels
Date Published
Non-English Executive Titles: How International Titles Map to U.S. Levels
You are benchmarking an executive role at your Madrid subsidiary. The incumbent's title is "Presidente." Is that a CEO? A board chair? A country manager? If you guess wrong, you price the job against the wrong market data and give your global leveling framework a bad data point that spreads.
Non-English executive titles rarely translate word for word. The same word can mean different things depending on the country, the legal entity type, and the company's own habits. This page gives you the most common titles, the U.S. level they usually map to, and the one rule that keeps you out of trouble: map on scope, not on the title.
TL;DR
- Translate the role, not the word. "Presidente," "Directeur Général," and "Geschäftsführer" each point to a legal role first and a U.S. level second.
- Many of these titles map to CEO or C-level, but "Presidente" and "Président" often mean board chair.
- Confirm four facts before mapping: who the role reports to, what the P&L or budget scope is, how many people roll up, and whether the role holds legal authority.
- Record the local title, the mapped U.S. level, and your evidence in your job architecture.
Common titles and where they usually land
Local title | Country | Usual U.S. equivalent | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
Directeur Général (DG) | France | CEO or top operating executive | A "Président-Directeur Général" (PDG) is CEO and chair combined |
Président | France | Board chair, or CEO in an SAS | Depends on the entity type and the bylaws |
Geschäftsführer | Germany, Austria | CEO or managing director of a GmbH | Several can share the title, each with real legal authority |
Vorstand | Germany | Executive committee member | The board is collective; the chair is the "Vorstandsvorsitzender" |
Presidente | Spain, Latin America | Board chair, or CEO | Look for "Consejero Delegado," the usual CEO title |
Amministratore Delegato (AD) | Italy | CEO | Not the same as "Presidente" |
Representative Director / Shacho | Japan | President or CEO | "Kaicho" (chairman) can outrank the president |
Managing Director | UK, India, Australia | CEO of the entity | In U.S. banking, "Managing Director" is a senior rank, not a CEO |
Why the same word means different things
Titles follow company law. In Germany, the Geschäftsführer of a GmbH has statutory authority to represent the company, as set out in § 35 of the GmbH Act (GmbHG). In France, the Code de commerce lets a company combine the chair and general-management roles or split them, so a Directeur Général may or may not also chair the board.
That legal role tells you something useful: real authority, real accountability. It does not tell you the size of the job. A Geschäftsführer at a 40-person subsidiary and one at a 4,000-person group are both "managing directors." They are not the same level.
How to map a title to a U.S. level
Run every international executive title through the same four checks.
- Reporting line. Does the role report to a board, a regional head, or a parent-company executive?
- Financial scope. What revenue, P&L, or budget does the role own?
- Organization size. How many employees roll up, and through how many layers?
- Legal authority. Can the role sign contracts and bind the entity?
A country head reporting to a regional president, with $30M in revenue and 150 employees, usually lands at the VP or SVP level in the U.S. even if the local title says "General Manager." The executive title classification framework and the AVP vs VP vs SVP vs EVP comparison show what those U.S. levels look like.
FAQ
Is a "Presidente" the same as a CEO?
Not always. In Spain and much of Latin America, the Presidente often chairs the board, while the Consejero Delegado runs the business. In smaller or family-owned firms, one person holds both roles. Check who runs day-to-day operations.
What is a Geschäftsführer in U.S. terms?
Usually a CEO, or one of several co-CEOs, of a German GmbH. A subsidiary with a single Geschäftsführer maps to a country CEO or general manager. Treat the level as unknown until you check scope.
Does "Managing Director" mean the same thing everywhere?
No. In the UK and Commonwealth countries it usually means the chief executive of the company, and the person is a statutory director under UK company law. In U.S. investment banking it is a senior title below the top executives. Our banking job titles guide covers the U.S. usage.
Should I use the translated title in my job architecture?
Keep both. Store the local title for legal and HR records, and the mapped U.S. level for benchmarking and pay decisions. Your job leveling framework should drive the second field.
Can I rely on a translation tool for executive titles?
Use it as a starting point only. A translator gives you the dictionary meaning, not the legal or organizational meaning. Confirm with local HR or counsel for any role that signs contracts or sits on a board.
How do I keep global executive levels consistent?
Score each role against the same compensable factors, such as scope, complexity, and accountability, and let the score set the level. That approach holds up across countries because it ignores the label. Our job title hierarchy framework shows how to structure the levels themselves.
Where to go next
If you are mapping a handful of international executives, a spreadsheet and the four checks will do. If you are leveling a global workforce, you need a repeatable method. See how PointFactors job evaluations score roles on the same factors in every country.
Ready to level executives without guessing from titles? Book a demo and we will walk you through it.
By Justin Hampton, founder and CEO of PointFactors.