Brit-Speak: Vernon Dursley is a /Director/.

[Steve]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but my memory on the details
fails me at the moment.

Vernon Dursley is a director of Grunnings Drill Company.

First, I must wonder if he is /A/ Director, or if he is /THE/ Director.

Next, I have to wonder what the term /Director/ means in Britich
culture and context.

Does it simply mean that Vernon is one of many middle managers? 

In the US, middle managers are any salaried 'necktie' types who have
staff working under them. Although, they may be far from the top of
the Corporate hierarchy. Examples, he could be the manager of
accounting, or sales, or production.

In Vernon's case, he seems to be involved is sales. So, given that he
is a/the Director, would you speculate that he is a department
director, or the overal manager for that branch of the company?

The term 'director' is used in the USA, most commonly in 'Board of
Directors', but you rarely hear of a person directly referred to as a
director in this context.

I'm just trying to get some idea of where Uncle Vernon fits into the
world. It's difficult for me to tell based on clues. Like his house
for example, by American/USA standards, he lives in a slightly above
average middle class home. At the same time, I am aware that real
estate prices in England are exceptionally high. Give that, Vernon
might be living in a million dollar house. He also seems to earn a
substantial salary, but whether that is £50,000 or £500,000 I can't tell. 

Just seeking some perspective on the Uncle we all love to hate.

Steve/b_boymn