department head
Loading your saved state.
department head
A male person who heads a department in a company, public authority, or other organization and is responsible for it.
Ich muss den Urlaubsantrag noch vom Abteilungsleiter genehmigen lassen.
I still have to get the vacation request approved by the department head.
The word is made up of three parts: 'die Abteilung' (department) + linking 's' + 'der Leiter' (leader/head). So it literally describes a person who leads a department.
Der neue Abteilungsleiter stellt sich heute dem Team vor.
The new department head is introducing himself to the team today.
The word belongs to the word family of 'leiten' (to lead, manage). A 'Leiter' is a person who leads something. An 'Abteilung' is a subunit of a larger organization.
Er leitet die Marketing-Abteilung seit fünf Jahren.
He has been heading the marketing department for five years.
With compound nouns, the last word determines the article. Since 'der Leiter' is masculine, 'der Abteilungsleiter' is also masculine.
Der Leiter der Finanzabteilung ist heute nicht im Büro.
The head of the finance department is not in the office today.
boss
'der Chef' and 'der Abteilungsleiter' can both be a superior in an organization. 'der Chef' is more general and can mean your direct superior, the head of a company, or simply the person with the most authority. 'der Abteilungsleiter' is more specific: it is a man who heads a particular department. The words can be confused because a department head is often also the boss of employees. If the exact role is important, you say 'Abteilungsleiter'. If you are talking generally about a superior, 'Chef' fits better.
Der Abteilungsleiter prüft den Bericht, bevor er ihn weiterleitet.
The department head checks the report before forwarding it.
Er sagt dem Chef Bescheid, weil er am Montag einen Termin hat.
He lets the boss know because he has an appointment on Monday.