Job Titles in India: Designation Hierarchy in Companies, IT, Banks and Government

Quick answer: A job title (or designation, the word most Indian offer letters use) tells people your level and your kind of work. Indian employers follow four broad systems: the corporate ladder (Executive, Manager, AGM, DGM, GM, VP), grade codes in IT services firms, officer scales in public sector banks, and the 7th Pay Commission's Pay Levels 1 to 18 in central government.

The same title can mean very different things in each system. A "Manager" in a public sector bank is a Scale II officer a few years into the job; a "Vice President" in, for example, a foreign bank's Indian office may lead a small team. So read the level or grade, not just the words, and always write your official designation on your resume.

Job title, designation and role: what's the difference?

• Designation is the official title in your appointment letter, payslip and HR records. It is what a background verification (BGV) agency checks with your previous employer.

• Job title is the name used outside, on LinkedIn or a business card. In most Indian companies it is the same as the designation.

• Role is the work you actually do. Two "Senior Executives" in the same company can do completely different jobs.

• Grade, band or level (C2, JL4, Scale III, Level 7) is the internal code that fixes pay and seniority. Titles change between companies; grades are how the company itself compares people.

Also read: Biodata Format for a Job Application: What It Is, What to Include and How to Write It

The typical corporate ladder in Indian companies

Most Indian manufacturing, FMCG, pharma and services companies use some version of this ladder. The exact steps vary; there is no law or standard that fixes them.

Some firms have cut these steps down. In 2017 Tata Motors cut its reporting levels from 14 to five and dropped designations altogether (it had over 200). About a month later it partly brought them back as five level-wise titles, such as Senior Manager, General Manager and Vice President, followed by the function, HR trade publication HRKatha reported.

Job titles in IT services companies

Large IT services firms run on grade codes, and the title sits on top of the grade. Neither TCS nor Infosys publishes its full ladder officially, so treat the versions below as commonly reported by employees and career sites, not company policy.

Product companies and startups mostly use the global pattern instead: Software Engineer (SDE-1), Senior Software Engineer (SDE-2), Staff or Principal Engineer on the technical track, and Engineering Manager, Director and VP on the management track. A "Consultant" at an IT services firm and an "SDE-2" at a product company can be at a similar stage, which is why recruiters ask for years of experience and your grade.

Designations in public sector banks

Public sector bank officers are placed in seven scales. The common title at each scale is:

Above GM come Chief General Manager (in larger banks), Executive Director and the MD & CEO. Some banks use other names: IDBI Bank, for example, uses Grades A to F, from Assistant Manager up to Chief General Manager, according to its published pay scales.

The clerical cadre has a newer title too. IBPS renamed bank "Clerks" as Customer Service Associates (CSA) from 2024, and its 2026 recruitment notification (CRP CSA-XVI) uses that name.

Government job titles and Pay Levels

In central government, the title matters less than the Pay Level in the 7th Central Pay Commission's Pay Matrix. Posts are grouped by level under a 2018 government notification (S.O. 3964(E), dated 9 August 2018): Group C is Levels 1–5, Group B is Levels 6–9 and Group A is Levels 10–18.

These are starting points of each level; dearness allowance and other allowances come on top. The 8th Central Pay Commission, chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, was notified in November 2025 and has 18 months to report. As of November 2026 it had not submitted its recommendations, so these figures still apply. If you are choosing between exams, our list of top government exams in India gives the posts each one leads to.

Also read: Top 10 Government Exams in India You Should Prepare For: Patterns and Eligibility

Your title doesn't decide your legal rights

Many people assume a "Manager" title means labour-law protections don't apply. Indian courts look at the work, not the label. In Lenin Kumar Ray v. Express Publications (2024), the Supreme Court held that whether someone is a "workman" under the Industrial Disputes Act depends on the duties they actually perform, not merely on their designation. The test works both ways: in that case the employee, an Assistant Engineer, was held not to be a workman because he was working in a supervisory capacity (he supervised two junior engineers) and his pay was above the wage limit then in force (₹1,600 a month under the pre-2010 law).

The four Labour Codes, which came into force on 21 November 2025, keep that approach. Under the Industrial Relations Code, people in mainly managerial or administrative jobs are excluded from the definition of "worker", and so are supervisors earning above a wage ceiling (₹18,000 a month, up from ₹10,000 under the old law; the Centre can revise it). A grand title on a modest supervisory salary does not by itself take you out of the worker definition.

How to write your job title on a resume

1. Use the exact designation from your offer or relieving letter. BGV agencies confirm your designation, dates and role with past employers, and a title that doesn't match the employer's records gets flagged as a discrepancy.

2. Explain an unclear internal title in brackets, for example "IT Analyst (Java backend developer)" or "Deputy Manager – Commercial (vendor contracts)".

3. Show promotions as separate lines under the same company, with dates, so a recruiter can see the climb.

4. Don't translate your title up. If you were a Senior Executive, don't write "Manager" because the work felt managerial; describe the responsibility in the bullet points instead.

Our guide on how to make a resume covers the rest of the format, and if you are weighing a title bump against a pay rise, read when to switch companies.

Frequently asked questions

Is designation the same as job title?

In most Indian companies, yes: designation is the official word used in HR documents, and job title is the everyday name for it. When they differ, the designation in your appointment letter is the one that counts for verification.

Which is higher, AGM or DGM?

DGM (Deputy General Manager) is higher than AGM (Assistant General Manager). The usual order is AGM, then DGM, then GM, both in companies and in public sector banks, where AGM is Scale V and DGM Scale VI.

Is Assistant Manager a good post for a fresher?

In public sector banks, Assistant Manager is the Scale I entry post for probationary officers, so it is a normal starting designation. In private companies it usually comes after a few years as an Executive, though some firms give it to MBA or management-trainee hires.

Can I write a different job title on my resume than my official one?

Keep the official designation as the title; you can add a plain-English description in brackets, such as "Associate Consultant (backend developer, Java)".

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