The president of Nanjing Normal University is at the official department level, just like the director of Jiangsu Education Department.

Under normal circumstances, the positions and levels of cadres are corresponding. For example, the county magistrate is the county level. However, there are exceptions. The position of the chief county magistrate of a county is the county magistrate, but it may be the deputy municipal level.

In short, the rank and position of cadres are two different concepts. It's like a position and a title are two different things.

References:

List of cadre levels in China