Sir Bob Kerslake is to leave his role as Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to become Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).
The appointment has been approved by the Prime Minister and Communities Secretary and follows Sir Peter Housden's departure from CLG in June.
HCA chairman Robert Napier said:
"While I am sorry to lose Bob, I would like to congratulate him on his appointment. Permanent secretary is the top civil servant post in an important arm of Government and his appointment is a reflection of his outstanding skills and of the HCA's track record of delivery.
"Bob has literally lived and breathed the HCA since he was appointed just over two years ago, and along with the hard work and commitment of all our staff he has played a major part in our success to date.
"Looking forward we have a continuing and evolving role, as well as a business to run as usual, and over the coming months we will continue to deliver against our current programmes while we shape our new way for doing business.
"I am pleased that Government recognises that the key role that the HCA has to play in helping to shape local places, and that our staff have the necessary skills and expertise to adapt to our changing world."
Sir Bob will take up his new post on 1st November.
The HCA Board has begun the process for recruiting a new Chief Executive from its existing group of directors initially, on an interim basis.
The first five housing employees in the country to receive a licence to assess tenants on a national qualification have been presented with their certificates at Wakefield District Housing.
The five are recognisers for the Active Learning for Residents qualification, and have all supported at least three tenant learners to gain qualifications in community involvement.
Sarah Webb, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), said:
"This is an example of Wakefield District Housing and CIH working together to make a real contribution to the future of learning in the housing sector.
"The group of recognisers at Wakefield and District Housing have developed their assessment skills and in turn have contributed to the success of over 20 tenants to date. I am sure that other housing organisations will be keen to follow this lead."
CIH developed the Active Learning for Residents qualifications in order to give recognition to tenants already active in their communities.
The recognisers, who are responsible for assessing the learning and progress made by the tenants, work intensively with learners over a period of a year or more to ensure they reach their goals.
The launch of the RICS Online Academy brings virtual learning to many thousands of surveyors and trainees working in land, property and the built environment around the world.
Face-to-face learning is no longer the only option to either progress the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) courses, or to keep up-to-date with the latest industry processes and legislation affecting subscribers - many of whom are located in the world's emerging regions such as India and China.
As well as the initial four APC courses provided, the RICS Online Academy also offers a more flexible source of interactive personal development programmes that cover presentation skills, interview techniques and professional ethics.
For further information about the Online Academy click here.