Former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will step down from his role as director of rugby and high performance with World Rugby at the end of the year.
The New Zealander took up the position in October 2020 but has decided to leave to spend more time with his family.
Schmidt, who led Ireland to three Six Nations titles over his six-year tenure, moved to New Zealand after his time in charge of the national team came to an end in 2019.
The 55-year-old will remain on as a member of the high-performance committee and laws review group.
"With the global pandemic having restricted movement, and with significant opportunity for reflection, Joe Schmidt has decided that he will continue to reside in New Zealand rather than relocate to Ireland in order to ensure the best possible work-life balance for him and his family," World Rugby, who are based in Dublin, said.
"While we are sad to be losing Joe, we fully support his reasons and appreciate the strong contributions that he has made to the organisation and the game over the last year," World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said.
"His passion for the advancement of the game is tremendous and we are delighted that his expertise and experience will remain at the heart of game-related decision-making."
Schmidt, a former head coach of Leinster, said: "World Rugby have a challenging task bringing together a vast array of stakeholders to grow and future proof the game, particularly with the pandemic creating further complications.
"There is a real passion amongst them to help the game be all it can be for everyone involved and I have enjoyed my time as part of the team, working in partnership with unions, regions and competitions.
"We have worked very hard in a number of areas, including player welfare initiatives, remaining agile with fixture changes and match officials, law trials, competitions and the support of emerging nations where the Pacific Islands Super Rugby franchises are a good example of some excellent collaborative work.
"I am disappointed to be leaving World Rugby, but look forward to continuing an association with them."
