Rotherham Council said Jon Stonehouse, who has been in charge of provision in York since 2014, will join the local authority in the next few months, subject to completion of references.
His appointment follows the departure of Rotherham's previous DCS Ian Thomas, who left to become chief executive of Lewisham Council.
Stonehouse will have responsibility for a range of services including social care, inclusion, school improvement and early help.
Under the leadership of Thomas, earlier this year Rotherham's children's services were rated as "good" by Ofsted, three years after being judged to be "inadequate" in the wake of a major child sexual exploitation scandal.
Stonehouse started his career as a careers adviser in a local authority. He worked his way up to deputy DCS in Salford, prior to being appointed DCS in York.
York Council's children's services department received a "good" overall Ofsted rating at its most recent inspection, published in February 2017.
The local authority was praised for reducing social worker caseloads and focusing on placing children locally.
Sharon Kemp, chief executive of Rotherham Council said: "We are very pleased to appoint Mr Stonehouse to this integral position at Rotherham Council.
"The last few years has seen significant change to Rotherham's Children's Services leading to our 'good' Ofsted rating earlier this year.
"Alongside our excellent educational attainment, this is a good time to be coming to Rotherham and joining our senior leadership team."
