Describing Your Department and Its Mission

Read/Listen first

Every Monday morning, I join a short meeting with my manager and colleagues in the finance department. First, I introduce the main numbers from last week, like sales, costs, and profit, and we check if everything matches the budget. Then we talk about new invoices, late payments, and small problems that could affect the company cash flow or future projects. I work for a medium-sized company that sells technical equipment, so our department is responsible for organizing the company finance and supporting other teams with clear information. We also work in close contact with the accounting department to examine reports, resolve mistakes, and optimize our internal processes. During the meeting, my manager reminds us that our mission is to protect the company’s money and help every department plan safely. At the end, we agree simple actions, write them in a shared file, and confirm who will manage each task before the next meeting.

⚡ Learning goals

• Can describe the department they work in and its main mission.
• Can explain what their department is responsible for using the present simple.
• Can introduce themselves, say who they work for, and summarize key tasks.

✨ Key language

• I work in the finance department. “I work in the finance department of a small company.”
• I work for… “I work for a medium-sized company in technical sales.”
• is responsible for… “Our department is responsible for organizing the company finance.”

⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures

1️⃣ I work in + the + department

Rule: Use “I work in” plus “the” and a department name to say where you belong in the company.
Examples: I work in the finance department.; I work in the accounting department.; I work in the customer service department.
Common pitfall + fix: Many learners say “I work on finance department”. — Use “in” and add “the”: “I work in the finance department.”.

2️⃣ I work for + company

Rule: Use “I work for” to say the name or type of company that employs you.
Examples: I work for a medium-sized company.; I work for a technical equipment supplier.; I work for an international bank.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often say “I work in a company called…”. — Prefer “I work for a company called…”.

3️⃣ The department is responsible for + -ing

Rule: Use “is responsible for” plus a verb in -ing form to describe the mission of the department.
Examples: The finance department is responsible for organizing the company finance.; Our team is responsible for supporting other departments.; The accounting department is responsible for examining reports.
Common pitfall + fix: Some learners use the base form, for example “is responsible for organize”. — Add -ing: “is responsible for organizing”.

4️⃣ The department’s mission is to + verb

Rule: Use “The department’s mission is to” plus a base verb to describe the main purpose of the department.
Examples: The department’s mission is to protect the company’s money.; The department’s mission is to support other teams.; The department’s mission is to resolve financial problems quickly.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use -ing: “the mission is protecting”. — For this structure, use the base form: “is to protect”.

✍️ Vocabulary

  department

Meaning: a specific part of a company with its own area of work.
Synonyms: unit, division, section.
Chunk/Idiom: work in the finance department.
Example: I work in the finance department of a medium company.
Morphology: noun; countable department.
Self-practice: Write three sentences about departments in your company.

  mission

Meaning: the main purpose or goal of a department or company.
Synonyms: purpose, aim, objective.
Chunk/Idiom: the department’s mission is to support teams.
Example: Our mission is to protect the company’s money and data.
Morphology: noun; abstract mission.
Self-practice: Complete the sentence: “My department’s mission is to…”.

  finance

Meaning: the control of money, budgets, and investments in a company.
Synonyms: money management, financial control, funding.
Chunk/Idiom: organize the company finance carefully.
Example: The finance team checks budgets and cash flow every week.
Morphology: noun; uncountable finance.
Self-practice: Say aloud three things the finance department does.

  accounting

Meaning: the process of recording and examining financial transactions.
Synonyms: bookkeeping, financial reporting, accountancy.
Chunk/Idiom: work in the accounting department.
Example: The accounting department examines invoices and prepares reports.
Morphology: noun; uncountable accounting.
Self-practice: Describe one report your accounting team produces.

  responsible for

Meaning: having the duty to manage or control something important.
Synonyms: in charge of, managing, looking after.
Chunk/Idiom: be responsible for organizing budgets.
Example: I am responsible for checking new invoices every day.
Morphology: adjective phrase; used after “be”.
Self-practice: Write three things you are responsible for at work.

  optimize

Meaning: to make a process or system as effective and efficient as possible.
Synonyms: improve, streamline, refine.
Chunk/Idiom: optimize internal financial processes.
Example: We optimize our processes to save time and reduce errors.
Morphology: verb; regular optimize, optimized, optimizing.
Self-practice: Think of one process you would like to optimize.

☁️ Examples (+ audio)

🔊 Play I work in the finance department of our company.

🔊 Play I work for a medium-sized company that sells equipment.

🔊 Play Our department is responsible for organizing company finance.

🔊 Play The department’s mission is to protect the company’s money.

✏️ Exercises

Grammar

Vocabulary & Comprehension

✅ Guided practice

Mini-dialogue:

A: Hi, I’m Emma. I work in the finance department.
B: Nice to meet you, Emma. What is your department’s mission?
A: Our mission is to protect the company’s money and support other teams.
B: That sounds important. Are you responsible for checking invoices?
A: Yes, we examine invoices and optimize our internal processes.

Why this matters:

Clear language about your department helps colleagues, clients, and managers understand your role. It builds trust and shows how your work supports the company’s goals. It is especially useful in international meetings and emails.

Verb & Adjective Pack:

manage — We manage the company budget carefully.
organize — I organize our finance reports before the meeting.
examine — The team examines every invoice in detail.
responsible — She is responsible for monthly cash flow reports.
efficient — An efficient department saves time and money.
supportive — Our finance team is very supportive of other departments.

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