Meaning of Job Title Abbreviations | Business English Vocabulary

Are you eager to enter the job market in an English-speaking country? You may be feeling confident in your speaking skills and your understanding of the English language is growing stronger with each passing day, but have you figured out those pesky job title abbreviations that English-speaking countries love to use?

Job titles aren’t as simple as they seem and the same job could have a range of different names depending on the country you are in. We’ve broken it down so you can know your CEO from your VP.

Corporate Job Title Abbreviations You Should Know

CEO

Stands for: Chief Executive Officer

In the US, the CEO of a company is the big boss; the person in charge; “chief” means “most important” and “executive” refers to the people in charge. They make all of the important business decisions. The CEO may earn a couple of mission dollars a year, depending on the business. Although, this term is also used in British companies, the CEO is more commonly referred to as the MD (managing director) in the UK.

CFO

Stands for: Chief Financial Officer

The CEO will spend a lot of time liaising with the CFO, who is in charge of keeping track of the company’s money. A CFO must be able to produce reports that illustrate the flow of cash in a business.

VP

Stands for: Vice President

The second in command of a company, the VP helps the CEO project the overall vision of the business and ensures everything is running smoothly. On occasion, they may have to fill in for the CEO and will have a say in how issues are handled. In some cases, a company will have a VP for a particular component of the business, such as the VP of Marketing who would report to the CEO on Marketing-related issues.

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CCO

Stands for: Chief Compliance Officer

The Chief Compliance Officer of a company is in charge of ensuring that people are following the rules within a general organization or the larger industry that organization is a part of. This means that they oversee internal policies and procedures, checking that employees and the company are sticking to predetermined regulations. The CCO may also be known as a Compliance Director in the UK.

QC

Stands for: Quality Control Manager

A Quality Control Manager, or QC, is in charge of keeping manufacturing lines running smoothly and ensuring that the end product meets various health and safety requirements.

HR

Stands for: Human Resources

The HR department of any company is responsible for staffing; a business has many resources at its disposal, and the HR department deals with the “human resources"— the staff! An HR Manager takes care of hiring, firing, and the rearranging of company personnel. They are often responsible for payroll and taking care of any internal disputes and disciplinary actions.

PR

Stands for: Public Relations

A position in the PR department means that you are in charge of maintaining a favorable public image for the business. They oversee the relationship between the company, other organizations, and the public. A PR specialist communicates with a target audience through the company’s media presence in order to uphold a positive image.

PA

Stands for: Personal Assistant

A PA is a secretary generally responsible for aiding one significant figure in the company. Their day-to-day responsibilities can be extremely varied, as they are required to do all the small tasks that their employers don’t have the time for, such as booking flights, sending emails, organizing calendars, and running personal errands.

Admin

Stands for: Administrative Assistant

These employees take care of any routine office tasks such as filing, photocopying, letter writing, answering emails, and taking calls. They ensure that everything in the office is running efficiently and according to plan!