Senior Chief Petty Officer Senior Chief Petty Officer is the eighth enlisted rank in the U . S . Navy and U . S . Coast Guard , just above Chief Petty Officer and below Master Chief Petty Officer , and is a non - commissioned officer . They are referred to as " Senior Chief " in most circumstances , or , sometimes , referred to as the more informal " " Senior " " . Advancement to Senior Chief Petty Officer is similar to that of Chief Petty Officer . It carries requirements of time in service , superior evaluation scores and peer review . It is the first promotion that is based entirely on proven leadership performance where test scores do not play a part . A Chief Petty Officer can only advance if a board of Master Chiefs approve , convened every year around March . As with Chief Petty Officers , a Senior Chief Petty Officer takes on more administrative duties . In the Navy , their khaki uniform continues to reflect the duty ; similar to that of an officer , albeit with different insignia than an officer . ( In the Coast Guard , petty officers , chief petty officers , warrant officers , and commissioned officers all wear similar uniforms . ) Like Petty Officers , every chief has both a grade ( rank ) and rating ( job , similar to an MOS in other branches ) . A chief ' s full title is a combination of the two . Thus , a Senior Chief Petty Officer , who has the rating of Machinist ' s Mate would properly be called a Senior Chief Machinist ' s Mate , the abbreviation of which would appear as " " MMCS " . " Each rating has an official abbreviation , such as MM for Machinist ' s Mate , QM for Quartermaster , or YN for Yeoman . When combined with the petty officer level , this gives the short - hand for the Chief ' s rank , such as BMCS for Senior Chief Boatswain ' s Mate . The title of Senior Chief always precedes the rating . It is not uncommon practice to refer to the Senior Chief by this short hand in all but the most formal correspondence ( such as printing and inscription on awards ) . They are commonly addressed as " Senior Chief " or even just " Senior " regardless of rating . The rating insignia for a Senior Chief is an eagle with spread wings above three chevrons . The chevrons are topped by a rocker that goes behind the eagle ( or " crow , " as it is commonly called ) . An inverted star ( a reference to the stars used on the sleeves of line officers ) is placed above the eagle . This is used on the Dress Blue uniform . On all other uniforms , the insignia used is the one that has become universally accepted as the symbol of the Chief Petty Officer . This is a fouled ( entwined in the anchor chain ) gold anchor superimposed with a silver " USN " in the Navy or a silver shield in the Coast Guard . Like the dress blue insignia , this is capped by an upside - down star . In the Navy , officers and chiefs are referred to as " khakis . " This is a reference to the color of their most common uniforms , and is a direct contrast to those in paygrades E - 6 and below ( or , blueshirts ) . Command Senior Chief Petty Officer . As of 2005 and after a pilot program taking place on three mine countermeasures ships , the Navy started appointing senior chiefs to command senior chief . Until this time , senior chiefs had a senior enlisted leadership role in the submarine force as Chiefs of the Boat . This new effort works to formalize leadership at the senior chief level . Irish Naval Service . Senior Chief Petty Officer is also a rank in the Irish Naval Service ( Irish : " Ard - Mhion - Oifigeach Sinsearach " ) . The rank is deemed equivalent to a member of the NATO armed forces ranked OR - 8 , making it the equivalent of a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy or a Warrant Officer Class 2 in the Royal Navy . The rank is one grade below an Irish Warrant Officer .