What should I be Director of?

January 5, 2007 8:19 AM

What should my new job title be?

I am currently the Director of Marketing and the Director of Information Technology for a small restaurant company. I am adding to my responsibilities, and need a new job title.

In addition to the Marketing and IT, I will be partnering with one of our owners to help him accomplish a wide variety of operational projects. Basically, he is a big picture, 1,000 feet view kind of guy, and I am a detail-oriented, worms-eye view kind of guy.

Our owners have suggested "Director of Corporate Projects", but I think that is too vague, and doesn't take into account the Marketing and IT stuff. Any ideas? For benefits and job class reasons, it has to have Director in it.

(Yes, I know it is ridiculous that I am over all of these different areas...small companies...)

posted by Futurehouse to work & money (15 comments total)

Normally I'd say Chief Operations Officer, but since you have to have Director in it, Director of Operations? Kind of broad, but then again so are your duties.
posted by mikepop at 8:22 AM on January 5, 2007

Director of Communications?
posted by ninebelow at 8:26 AM on January 5, 2007

Seems to me that your duties would involve 'strategic communications' -- both to the customer and within the business. Director of Strategic Communications or Director of Strategic Operations sounds pretty. Maybe there's another adjective, though, since 'strategic' makes you sound paramilitary.
posted by cowbellemoo at 8:29 AM on January 5, 2007

COO
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:39 AM on January 5, 2007

If your job will involve at all speaking with people who might not necessarily know who they're looking for (particularly people from outside your company), it might be best to have your job title be as specific as possible, even if a bit on the long side. Director of Projects, Marketing and IT. If most everyone you'll be speaking with will know who you are or who they need to talk to, then perhaps something else that's shorter. Director of Operations seems fairly appropriate.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 8:59 AM on January 5, 2007

For benefits and job class reasons, it has to have Director in it.

Director of Operations or Operations Director.
posted by b1tr0t at 8:59 AM on January 5, 2007

It sounds like you're the company COO (Chief Operations Officer).
If the owner is adamant that you must have "Director" in your title, then the title "Director of Operations" would work, but I would go for COO first (most people doing your job are COOs and the title carries recognizable importance.)
posted by Count Ziggurat at 9:11 AM on January 5, 2007

COO works, but implies a level of fiduciary responsibiity that I bet you don't have. Director of Operations works. But personally if you must be a "director" I favor "Director of Strategic Development."
posted by ilsa at 10:15 AM on January 5, 2007

There may be a stigma to "projects" from the dreaded "special projects" nomenclature that is taken to mean, and confirmed in my experience, the guy who runs around doing wacky vanity things for the #1 guy.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:26 AM on January 5, 2007

Director of Systems Integration.
posted by jet_silver at 10:50 AM on January 5, 2007

I like COO too. I have the most annoying job title in one of my several jobs: Operations and Management Consultant Manager. WTF is that?
posted by forensicphd at 11:36 AM on January 5, 2007

you should appoint a committee to select a team that will come up with a project plan for choosing a vendor to implement your new title and provide some training on its use.
posted by fumbducker at 1:35 PM on January 5, 2007

Director of Business Development?
posted by thinkpiece at 1:41 PM on January 5, 2007

Capitan Awesome.
posted by delmoi at 4:04 PM on January 5, 2007

Grand Poobah of Operations
posted by TheNewWazoo at 5:51 PM on January 5, 2007