Learn Croatian: Odbor ga je imenovao ravnateljem. - The committee appointed him principal.

With verbs of naming, electing, or appointing like imenovati (to appoint) or proglasiti (to declare), the title or role assigned is put in the Instrumental case. This is called the Instrumental of predication. It shows what the person became, rather than acting as a normal direct object.

Could I use 'za' + Accusative instead of the Instrumental for the job title?

Yes, you will often hear native speakers say imenovao ga je za ravnatelja. Both are correct and widely used, but using the naked Instrumental is considered slightly more formal and is the standard way to express this in written Croatian.

Why is the pronoun enclitic 'ga' placed before the verb enclitic 'je'?

Verb enclitics normally come first, but je is the big exception to the rule! The strict enclitic order is: question particle (li), auxiliary verbs (except je), Dative pronouns, Accusative pronouns (like ga), the reflexive se, and finally je at the very end.

What is the difference between ravnatelj and direktor?

Ravnatelj is traditionally used for the head of a public institution, such as a school, hospital, or government agency. Direktor is typically used for the manager or head of a private company or commercial business.