Joe Biden has chosen veteran Democratic operative Ron Klain as his White House chief of staff.
It had been rumoured for months that Mr Klain, a lawyer who also advised Barack Obama, would get the top job.
Mr Klain, 59, served as Mr Obama’s “Ebola czar” and has been a fierce critic of Mr Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
He worked as a top aide to Mr Biden when he was still a Senator for Delaware, and ran his office when he first became vice president.
“Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together, including as we rescued the American economy from one of the worst downturns in our history in 2009 and later overcame a daunting public health emergency in 2014,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
“His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again.”