Hoofdafdeling

Hoofdafdeling is a Dutch term that can refer to either a major department within an organization or the person who heads such a department. The word is composed of hoofd (head, chief) and afdeling (department, division). In administrative and governmental contexts, hoofdafdeling designates a primary or senior division within a ministry, agency, or large organization, responsible for a distinct policy area or function, such as financiën (finances) or infrastructuur (infrastructure).

The term is part of a hierarchical naming convention in which the department's leadership is typically described as afdelingshoofd (head of the department) rather than hoofdafdeling; for example, the afdelingshoofd Financiën leads the Hoofdafdeling Financiën or the department of finances.

In practice, the exact meaning depends on organizational culture and official nomenclature: some institutions may refer to their main division as hoofdafdeling and use the label on the organizational chart, while others use afdelingsnaam + afdelingshoofd. In private companies, similar units are more often called "afdeling" with the manager titled "afdelingsleider" or "hoofd van de afdeling," whereas "hoofdafdeling" is more common in public sector and governmental bodies.

Role and responsibilities typically include setting policy within the department's remit, coordinating staff, managing budgets, and reporting to higher management such as a directeur or managing board. The term underscores both the unit's primacy within the organization and the leadership role associated with it, though exact duties vary by organization.

See also: afdeling; afdelingshoofd; organisatie.