The most common director abbreviation is Dir., capitalized and followed by a period. It keeps the opening three letters of director and is spoken as "director." In systems that print everything in capitals, such as HR databases and badge printers, it appears as DIR.
Many specific director titles also have their own initials. An executive director is often ED, a creative director CD, and a film's director of photography DP. Those letter sets are handy inside one company or industry but can confuse outsiders, so this page shows which form suits which setting.
Quick facts
Standard form
Dir.All caps systems
DIRPlural
Dirs. (rare; usually spelled out)Period
Yes in running text and titlesCommon title forms
Exec. Dir., Asst. Dir., Assoc. Dir.Used in
Org charts, email signatures, credits, HR recordsNot to be confused with
dir as a computer command for a directory listing
Choosing the right director abbreviation
Use the plain short form when space is tight but the reader still needs the whole word to come through:
| Form | Setting | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dir. | Titles, signatures, directories | Dir. of Admissions |
| DIR | Capitals only screens and printouts | DIR FINANCE |
| Director | Sentences, letters, resumes | She is the director of nursing. |
On a resume or cover letter, spell the title out. Hiring managers expect the full word, and applicant tracking software may search for it.
Abbreviation for director inside longer job titles
Director is often one part of a bigger title, and each part may be shortened.
- Exec. Dir. or ED: executive director, the top staff leader at many nonprofits.
- Asst. Dir.: assistant director. See the assistant abbreviation.
- Assoc. Dir.: associate director, usually a rank between manager and director.
- Sr. Dir.: senior director.
- MD: managing director, a senior title in banking and some companies. In medicine, MD means something else; see MD.
- AD: athletic director at a school, or assistant director on a film set.
Email signature: "Pat Rivera, Assoc. Dir., Student Services." This tells you Pat is an associate director in the student services department, one level below its director.
Director short forms in film, TV and theater
Entertainment crews use their own set of letters:
- DP or DoP: director of photography, who leads the camera and lighting team.
- AD and 1st AD: assistant director and first assistant director, who keep the shoot on schedule.
- CD: creative director in advertising, or casting director in film.
- MD: musical director in a theater production.
These codes are clear on a call sheet, where everyone knows the context. Outside that world, write the full title the first time.
Director vs manager vs officer
Titles differ by company, but a common ladder runs from manager to director to vice president to the C suite. A director usually oversees several managers or a whole function. An officer, such as a CEO or CFO, sits higher. A board director is different again: a member of a board of directors, often shortened BOD, who oversees the company rather than working in it day to day.
For the rung below, see the manager abbreviation page.
How to write Dir. correctly
- Capitalize Dir. in any name and title pair: "Dir. Kim Patel."
- Keep the period in regular text; drop it only on capitals only systems that use DIR.
- For the plural, spell out "directors" in most cases. Dirs. exists but looks clumsy.
- Avoid the shortened form in formal sentences: write "the director approved it," not "the dir. approved it."
- On computers, dir is a command that shows what a folder holds, unrelated to job titles.
For more work words in short form, see common abbreviations.
Questions people ask
How do you abbreviate director?
The standard abbreviation for director is Dir., with a period. In all capitals settings it is written DIR.
What does ED mean in a job title?
ED usually means executive director, the senior staff leader of an organization, often a nonprofit. In a hospital, though, ED can also mean emergency department, so context matters.
Is director abbreviated on a resume?
It is better not to. Spell out director on a resume and in cover letters so the title reads clearly and matches searches.
What does DP mean on a film crew?
DP stands for director of photography, the person in charge of how the film looks through the camera and lighting. Some crews write DoP instead.
Is it Dir or Dr?
Dir. is director. Dr. is doctor. They are easy to mix up in a hurry, so double check a title before you print it.