Secretary of stateThe title secretary of state or state's secretary is commonly used for senior or mid-level posts in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple secretaries of state in the country's system of governing the country. In many countries, a secretary of state is a senior or mid-level post.Permanent secretaryA permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant of a department or ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are the non-political civil service chief executives of government departments or ministries, who generally hold their position for a number of years (thus "permanent") at a ministry as distinct from the changing political secretaries of state to whom they report and provide advice.Undersecretary of State (France)In France the Undersecretary of State (sous-secrétaire d'État) was a governmental role created during the Hundred Days and institutionalized in 1816. It served as an administrative and, later, political assistant to ministers, evolving significantly across the country's political regimes until being replaced by the title of Secretary of State under the Fifth Republic.Parliamentary secretaryA parliamentary secretary is a member of parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with their duties. In several countries, the position has been re-designated as assistant minister, junior minister or associate minister.
Secretary (title)Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived from the Latin word secernere, "to distinguish" or "to set apart", the passive participle (secretum) meaning "having been set apart", with the eventual connotation of something private or confidential, as with the English word secret.Minister (government)A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the 'prime minister', 'premier', 'chief minister', 'chancellor' or other title.
OfficialAn official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of their superior or employer, public or legally private). The term officer is close to being a synonym, but it has more military connotations. An elected official is a person who is an official by virtue of an election.
Executive (government)The executive is the part of the government that executes or enforces the law and policy of a government. It is typically organized as a branch of government, though in other systems of government like absolute monarchies the executive serves as the organ of a unified state apparatus centered on a singular constitutional authority (ie, the monarch).
Chief executive officerA chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles inside various organizations, including public and private corporations, nonprofit organizations, and even some government organizations (notably state-owned enterprises).Second-in-commandSecond-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. UsageIn the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. This terminology is also used in many other Commonwealth armies and other nations. The equivalent appointment in the United States Army is the executive officer.
Civil serviceThe civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service official, also known as a civil servant or public servant or public employee, is a person employed in the public sector by a government department or agency for public sector undertakings.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.