[OneWingedShark]

>”Executive Assistant to the Associate Deputy Director”

So, basically “secretary,” no?

[muawiyah]

No, that would be a "Senior Secretary" ~ in the federal government an "Executive Assistant" has a real job with some degree of responsibility ~ might even be the go-to guy for the department's multi-billion dollar budget BUT it's the LENGTH of the title, not the job duties that sets those guys off.

Remember, the federal government hasn't done any serious expanding since 1960 ~ so there was no growth commensurate with an ever greater population ~ and simultaneously electronics displaced most traditional government work. That made having a long title a highly desirable ambition for a certain type of person.

The fellow you want to stand up and salute in any federal agency is the one who can sign "final agency decision". All those other people are just supernumeraries.