The former New Zealand Warriors assistant coach Tony Iro will join New Zealand Rugby League in a full-time role as High Performance Manager.
Iro will focus on the elite end of the sport, working closely with the Kiwis and Junior Kiwis along with other NZRL teams and coaches.
The NZRL CEO, Jim Doyle, says it's great to have someone of Iro's calibre ahead of a major year for the sport.
Iro will be involved with the Kiwis in their defence of next year's Rugby League World Cup and will work heavily with Tony Kemp on the high performance programmes.
Late last month Iro was granted an early release from the Warriors after being overlooked for the job as head coach, which went to the Australian Matthew Elliot.
Iro had been with the Warriors for seven years and took over the first grade side this season when the head coach Brian McClennan was sacked with two games remaining.
Iro had been linked to the assistant coach's role at the Sydney Roosters, a position recently vacated by Elliot.
His administrative experience with the Kiwis dates back to 2005, when he was first appointed a national selector.
He as held a variety of positions with the Kiwis since, mostly recently holding the dual roles of selector and assistant coach.
He'll continue in both those posts, but, with the sport's biggest tournament less than 12 months away, he's excited about increasing his involvement.
