Ray Griggs, former vice-chief of the Defence Force, will replace Ms Campbell as secretary of the Department of Social Services.

Katherine Jones will be promoted to secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, from her current position of associate secretary of the Department of Defence.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce the appointments on Friday. All three will be appointed for five years following the Governor-General's acceptance of Mr Morrison's recommendations. He congratulated all three.

"I have every confidence that they will lead by example and ensure the Australian Public Service continues to play an integral role in our nation's COVID-19 recovery and provide high-quality services to all Australians," Mr Morrison said.

Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston praised Ms Campbell for "a decade of extraordinary service to social services".

"It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Kathryn Campbell and I wish her well as she takes on new challenges," Ms Ruston wrote Twitter.

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The reshuffle was prompted by Frances Adamson leaving Foreign Affairs and Trade to take the role of governor of South Australia, and Chris Moraitis leaving Attorney-General's when he was asked to head the Office of the Special Investigator earlier this year.

The proportion of women on the secretaries' board, the public service's peak leadership body, remains unchanged at six women and 13 men, including all ex-officio members.

Both Ms Campbell and Mr Griggs will commence their new roles on July 22.

"Ms Campbell has an outstanding record in public service," the prime minister said in a statement, noting she was also the first woman appointed to the rank of Major General in the Army Reserve.

It is Ms Campbell's third appointment as secretary, first helming Human Services in 2011, making her one of the longest-ever serving secretaries and the longest serving among the current holders.

Mr Griggs is moving across from leading the National Indigenous Australians Agency as its inaugural chief executive, following a highly distinguished career in the Royal Australian Navy.

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Ms Jones will leave Defence for Attorney-General's on August 16.

Replacements for Mr Griggs and Ms Jones are yet to be announced.

The top job at the Digital Transformation Agency, which now sits on the secretaries' board, is also waiting a permanent replacement for Randall Brugeaud, who stepped aside in June.

A departmental secretary reshuffle has been expected since late 2020 as the rumours flourished that then home affairs minister Peter Dutton was destined for a shift to the Defence portfolio. The rumours were fanned by pointed comments from the prime minister about handling of the ADF Inspector General's report into the Afghanistan War.

Speculation inside the public service was Mr Dutton would bring Michael Pezzullo, the departmental secretary, with him to Defence.

While Mr Dutton did move to Defence in a later ministerial reshuffle in March, Mr Pezzullo was not moved across and sources within the government let it be known that such a move was not on the cards.

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