Simply put, a title/rank/position is a common noun or adjective unless it immediately precedes a person's name. The phrase “lieutenant colonel,” for example, should be capitalized only when it is used as a title before a name but not when it is used generically: Lieutenant Colonel Peterson commanded the operation.

Do you Capitalise military ranks?

Military ranks or titles like general, colonel, captain, and major are often capitalized in documents and publications of the armed forces and in news stories. In general, capitalize such words only when they are used as part of a name or in place of one. Otherwise, lowercase them when used as common nouns.

Are position titles capitalized?

To summarize the capitalization of job titles, you should always capitalize the job title when it comes immediately before the person's name, in a formal context, in a direct address, in a resume heading, or as part of a signature line.