Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are

designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that

[1]
manage a specific sector of public administration.
These types of organizations are usually led by a politician who is a member of a
cabinet—a body of high-ranking government officials—who may use a title such as
minister, secretary, or commissioner, and are typically staffed with members of a
non-political civil service, who manage its operations; they may also oversee other
[2]
government agencies and organizations as part of a political portfolio. Governments
may have differing numbers and types of ministries and departments. In some countries,
these terms may be used with specific meanings: for example, an office may be a
subdivision of a department or ministry.