Sue Ellis, currently a senior director in the early years team atNational Strategies, will take over the 96,000 a year job fromRuth Pimentel at National Strategies on 1 February.
Ms Ellis will be responsible for the development and implementation ofthe EYFS, including the Communication, Language and Literacy Development(CLLD) programme.
Her current job at National Strategies is leading the Every Child ATalker programme.
Her previous work includes developing the CLLD programme, including thephonics programme Letters and Sounds, and overseeing it in its firstyear, and she also helped to develop the EYFS.
Ms Ellis, whose work in education spans more than 30 years, started hercareer as an early years teacher in nursery, primary and specialeducation before she became an Ofsted inspector. She subsequently joinedSomerset local authority as an early years adviser and senior adviserfor the Foundation Stage.
Ms Ellis has spent much of her working life promoting the importance ofearly identification of children with specific developmental needs. Shesees developing competence in language as being the 'golden thread' toimproving life chances.
National Strategies said that Ms Ellis would be an excellent championfor young children and the early years sector.
Ruth Pimentel resigned as national director unexpectedly in Novemberafter nearly three years in the job.
She had been involved in developing the Foundation Stage from its launchin 2003.