Enlisted Duty Titles

Why Duty Titles Matter

Duty Title Purpose

When properly applied, duty titles facilitate a quick understanding of a person's role and level of responsibility.

Enlisted duty titles are assigned based upon the scope of responsibility and the duties being performed. The following are the official, authorized duty titles for the enlisted force.

Supervisor

Used for NCOs and some Senior Airmen who are first-line supervisors, such as:

Heavy equipment supervisors
Shift supervisors

Junior Enlisted Restriction

Junior enlisted Airmen will not have the duty title of supervisor unless they are at least an Airman Leadership School graduate and supervise the work of others.

Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC)

Used only for NCOs and SNCOs in charge of a work center or element. NCOICs typically have subordinate supervisors.

NCOIC Without Direct Reports

The title of NCOIC is also used for those whose primary duty is a unit-wide program or management function — even if they do not directly supervise personnel.

Section Chief

Used for NCOs and SNCOs in charge of a section with at least two subordinate work centers or elements.

Section Chief Rank

Section chiefs are typically SNCOs, and the rank will vary depending upon the size of the section.

Flight Chief

Used for NCOs and SNCOs who are the enlisted leaders of a flight.

Flight Chief Rank

Flight chiefs are typically SNCOs, and the rank will vary depending upon the size of the flight.

Manager

Used for NCOs and SNCOs who are program, project, and policy managers at designated USAF levels.

In addition to the special SNCO positions of:

USAF career field managers
Major command functional managers

Managers may or may not have personnel working for them and may be the enlisted leader of the branch, division, or directorate.

Chief

Chief Title Restriction

Used for Chief Master Sergeants who are program, project, or policy managers at designated USAF levels.

Chiefs may or may not have personnel working for them and may be the enlisted leader of the branch, division, or directorate.

Enlisted Duty Titles