Keith Greenfield has been appointed as Sussex's first ever director of cricket.

Sussex have promoted Greenfield from his previous role as cricket performance manager to fill the new position created in the wake of relegation to division two of the Championship following a coaching review.

The 47-year-old who first joined Sussex in 1985 and went on to play 238 games for the club was the unanimous choice of the club's board for the job which was initially earmarked for former coach Mark Robinson before he was appointed as head coach of England Women.

The director of cricket will oversee all aspects of the professional game although on-field performance will remain the responsibility of Head Coach Mark Davis, who will report to Greenfield.

He will also work closely with Tim Shutt, managing director of the Sussex Cricket Foundation, who is currently responsible for participation and community cricket, to realise strategic objectives in participation and community cricket.

Sussex chairman Jim May said: "The appointment is a key one which will ensure that the integration of the professional club and the recreational board in November 2015 helps develop our player pathway for both male and female cricketers.

“In his previous role, Keith was responsible for our Academy, which received top marks in the last ECB evaluation, as well as our evolving relationships with Guernsey and Oxford Cricket Boards. The Board were unanimous in agreeing that Keith has the qualities to succeed in this new role.”

Carl Hopkinson will now assume the role of academy director - which was part of Greenfield's previous remit – having been part of the coaching set-up at Hove since retiring as a player in 2009. Hopkinson will also continue to work with the first team as a specialist fielding coach.

Chief executive Zac Toumazi said: "We believe Keith will bring his extensive experience in both professional and club cricket to drive improvements for Sussex cricket. His commitment and calm approach makes him the perfect candidate for this role which will focus on the implementation of the Sussex strategy to put cricket at the heart of our community.

"We are also thrilled to see Carl take over from Keith to build on the excellent work he has done with the academy. He can now bring his own style and expertise to help develop the next generation of Sussex’s players.”