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Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Josh Pitcock, second from right, looks on as President Donald Trump meets with automobile company executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Jan. 24, 2017.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON Vice President Pence is replacing his chief of staff, swapping one long-time aide for another in his first major staff change.

Josh Pitcock, who worked for Pence for a dozen years, is leaving the job at the end of the month. Pitcock worked for Pence both when he was a member of Congress and Indiana's governor.

Nick Ayers, a Pence political adviser, will take his place.

The change was first reported by The New York Times.

Ayers was a top adviser to Pences gubernatorial re-election campaign and became his senior adviser on the vice presidential campaign trail. He also helped Pence lead the transition team.

Pence said he's "come to appreciate Nick's friendship, keen intellect and integrity."

"I couldnt be more excited to have him come to the White House," Pencesaid in a statement.

Republican political strategists Nick Ayers and Kellyanne Conway arrives at Trump Tower, December 8, 2016 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration.(Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images)

Ayers, Pitcock and Marc Short, President Trumps director of legislative affairs, are part of a tight circle of Pence advisers which also includes longtime aide and fundraiser Marty Obst.

"Deciding to leave was not easy, but I believe the time is right for me to transition to the private sector," Pitcock said in a statement. "Nick and I have worked seamlessly together for years and will continue to do so through the transition and thereafter.

Ayers is still expected to play a role in Pence's team, but from an outside perspective.

"Whatever the future holds for Josh and his family, he will remain one of my most trusted advisers and cherished friends," Pence said in a statement.

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The change is taking place a few weeks after Pence announced he hired outside counsel to help him respond to questions raised by the special counsel investigatingpossible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russia.

A Pence official who was not authorized to speak about the subject said the ongoing investigationis not a factor in the change in top aides.

Although Pence has not been at the center of the questions raised about Trump campaign officials, hehasnt escaped totally unscathed.

The New York Timesreported last month that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told the Trump transition team headed by Pence that he was under FBI investigation for secretly lobbying for Turkey during the campaign. After that report, Pence reiterated a previous statement that he first learned of Flynn's lobbying in March.

Flynn was fired after he lied to Pence and others about not having spoken during the transition with the Russian ambassador about the sanctions imposed on the country by the Obama administration.

After President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Pence repeated the initial White House explanation that Comey was dismissed based on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.But Trump later undercut that explanation, sayinghe was going to fire Comey regardless of the Justice Department's recommendation which centered on the former FBI director's controversial handling of the Hillary Clinton email prob and confirmed in a television interview the Russia investigation was indeed on his mind when he made the decision.

Pence relied heavily on former aides from his congressional and gubernatorial days to staff his new office.

Pitcock started in Pences congressional office as a legislative assistant and rose to chief of staff. When Pence became governor, the state contracted with Pitcock to lobby for Indianas interests in Washington. Pitcock continued that post while also working on the vice presidential campaign.

As a former lobbyist, Pitcock was given a waiver from the ethics rules Trump signed earlier this year that barred any lawyers and lobbyists joining the administration from working on matters that involved their former clients.

Pence said he will always be grateful for the foundation Pitcock laid in his office.

For his part, Ayers, a Georgia native who headed the Republican Governors Association in 2010, was a top contender to take over the Republican National Committee after the election.

Instead, he helped start America First Policies, an outside group launched in January to promote Trumps policies and provide a counter balance to the agenda of the liberal and biased media.

The group has run ads against GOP Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada for his opposition to the Republican bill to overhaul Obamacare.

Ayers, who had been considering running for governor, said his departure from Georgia - "albeit temporarily" is only possible because of how much he believes in the policies Pence and Trump are fighting for.

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Mike Pence's first major staff shakeup: Josh Pitcock out, Nick Ayers in as chief of staff - USA TODAY