Updated November 2026 · By Alex Martin, MapX
The short answer: you can't compare seniority across companies from job titles alone. A "VP" at a bank and a "VP" at a 200-person software company can be two or three levels apart. To compare like with like, look at five things: who the person reports to, what they're responsible for, how big their team is, how large and complex the company is, and the path they took to get there. Then map everyone to one internal scale.
This guide explains why titles mislead, gives a simple method for levelling external candidates, and covers the tools that help. We make MapX, which includes title levelling, so we say where it fits and where other options work just as well.
Why job titles don't travel between companies
- Industry habits. Investment banks give the VP title to large numbers of mid-level staff. In most corporates, a VP leads a function or a region.
- Company size. A "Director" in a 60-person scale-up may run a team of two. A Director in a FTSE 100 business may run a team of 200 across several countries.
- Geography. UK companies often use "Head of" for the person who runs a function. US companies are more likely to use VP or SVP for the same job.
- Title inflation. Fast-growing companies often hand out bigger titles to attract people they can't pay more.
- Function names. "Director of Talent" can mean talent acquisition, talent management or learning, depending on the company.
Get this wrong and you either approach people who are too junior, or rule out strong candidates because their title looks smaller than the role.
The five signals that show real seniority
1. Reporting line
How many layers sit between the person and the CEO? Someone two steps from the CEO in a large group is usually more senior than a "Chief" in a small subsidiary.
2. Scope
What do they own? Look for P&L responsibility, budget, number of markets or business units, and whether the role is global, regional or local.
3. Team size and shape
How many people report to them, directly and in total? Do they manage managers?
4. Company size and complexity
Revenue, headcount, number of countries, listed or private, and how many business lines. A role in a complex group usually carries more weight than the same title in a single-product company.
5. Career path
What did they do before, and for how long? Someone who has already run a function at a similar-sized company is a safer bet than someone with a bigger title at a much smaller one.
A simple method for levelling external candidates
- Define your own levels. Use a short scale your hiring managers recognise, for example: Board, C-suite, Group function head (EVP/SVP), Function or regional head (VP / Head of), Director, Senior manager, Manager.
- Map the title ladders of your target companies. For each company, note which titles sit at which level. Annual reports, company websites and press releases show the top layers; professional profiles fill in the rest.
- Check each person against the five signals. Adjust up or down from what the title suggests, and note why.
- Calibrate with the hiring manager. Show five or six example profiles across levels and agree which ones are "right size". This is faster than debating titles in the abstract.
- Record the decisions. Keep the company title ladders you've built. The next search in the same market starts from there.
How titles read in different types of company
- Vice President: in a global bank, often mid-level (a senior specialist or team lead). In a US tech scale-up, usually runs a function and reports to the C-suite. In a large UK or European corporate, senior, often leading a function for a region or the group.
- Director: in a bank, above VP and often runs a desk or team. In a US tech company, below VP, typically leading a team within a function. In a large corporate, it varies widely, from team lead to function head.
- Head of: in a bank, leads a business area or function. In a scale-up, can be a small team or a single person. In a large UK corporate, commonly the person who runs the function.
- Managing Director: in a bank, very senior, running a business line or large team. In a corporate, often the leader of a country or division.
These are common patterns, not rules. Always check the five signals.
Function matters as much as level
Levelling only works if you're comparing the same job. Two people called "Director of Operations" can do very different things: one runs manufacturing plants, the other runs a sales operations team. Classify each person by function and specialism as well as seniority before you compare them.
MapX does this automatically: it classifies titles into 16 functions, 420 specialisms and 7 seniority levels, so a search matches what people do rather than what they're called. You can see how this works on our title levelling page.
Where job evaluation frameworks fit
Many HR and reward teams already use a job evaluation method such as Mercer IPE, WTW Global Grading or Korn Ferry's Hay method. These score roles on factors like impact, knowledge, communication and responsibility, and they're the right tool for your own grading and pay structures.
They're harder to use on external candidates, because they need a full job description and context you won't have for someone at another company. For external comparison, use the five public signals above, then translate the result to your internal grade.
Tools that help
LinkedIn Recruiter seniority filters
Strengths: quick and built in. Watch-outs: based on titles, so it inherits the problems above. Best for: a first pass.
Salary benchmarking and job evaluation providers
Strengths: rigorous internal levelling linked to pay data. Watch-outs: built for your own roles, not for assessing external people. Best for: reward and HR teams setting grades.
Talent mapping platforms
Strengths: classify external leaders by function, specialism and seniority at scale, using company and career context rather than titles alone. Watch-outs: still check edge cases by hand, especially in very small or unusual companies. Best for: executive TA teams comparing leaders across many companies.
Spreadsheets and judgement
Strengths: free and flexible. Watch-outs: slow, and decisions are hard to reuse. Best for: one-off searches in a small market.
Common mistakes
- Filtering on titles before you've mapped how each target company uses them.
- Ignoring company size, so a "CFO" of a small subsidiary is treated like a group CFO.
- Comparing people across different functions because the titles match.
- Not writing down levelling decisions, so every search starts from scratch.
How to do this on MapX in minutes
In MapX the levelling is done before you search. Every title is classified into one of 16 functions, 420 specialisms and 7 seniority levels using company and career context, not the title alone, so a VP at a bank and a VP at a scale-up land at the level they actually hold.
- Describe the role in Polaris: the function, the level, and the sectors in and out.
- Polaris builds the target companies and returns leaders at the right level, whatever their title. A first search takes under 15 minutes.
- Check the edge cases in calibration. Confirm which sample profiles are the right size and the search adjusts before it runs in full.
- Share the levelled market map with the hiring manager as an editable report in your brand.
The levelling decisions stay with the map, so the next search in that market starts from where this one finished.
Frequently asked questions
Is a VP more senior than a Director?
It depends on the company. In most US corporates and tech companies, VP is above Director. In many banks, Director is above VP. Check the reporting line and scope rather than the title.
What is job levelling?
Job levelling means placing roles on one consistent scale of seniority, so you can compare jobs with different titles or in different companies.
How do you compare seniority between a startup and a large company?
Look at scope and team size rather than title. A startup VP often has the scope of a director or senior manager in a large company. Experience of running something at the size you need is the best guide.
How many seniority levels should we use?
Six to eight levels from manager to board is enough for most executive hiring. MapX uses 7.
Can AI level job titles accurately?
AI can classify large numbers of titles quickly and consistently when it also uses company and career context. Edge cases still need human review.
What to do next
To see how levelled market maps look in practice, the MapX sample pack has examples using fictional data. You can also book a free 30-minute session to level the titles in one of your target markets.