Need a word that has the opposite meaning of "nominal"?

I'm looking for a word that has the opposite meaning of the word nominal in the sense of in name only.

Here's an example (fill in the blank).

Brian was in charge of scheduling in his [    ] role as Project Manager.
He was often expected to carry out Project Management duties, even though his business card identified him as a programmer.

De facto sort of works, but I feel like the connotation of (in my example) having the role by tradition or default doesn't fit what I am trying to say.

I am essentially looking for a term that means we don't call it that, but in practice it really is.

Solution 1:

I think "We don't call it that, but in practice it really is" is a pretty good definition for de facto.

actual; especially: being such in effect though not formally recognized

Solution 2:

Actual? Effective? In this case I'd simply put:

Brian was in charge of scheduling in his role as project manager. He was often expected to carry out project management duties, even though his business card identified him as a programmer.

You can't be a Project Manager if you're not a Project Manager, but you can be a project manager if you just manage a project. In the former, you're stating a wishy-washy claim to a title, but in the latter you're simply relating a part of your job.

Solution 3:

I think a minor rephrasing makes de facto the best choice:

Brian was in charge of scheduling in his role as de facto Project Manager. He was often expected to carry out Project Management duties, even though his business card identified him as a programmer.