Apple’s chief operating officer plans to hand the role off this month and retire later this year after roughly a decade as the tech giant’s No. 2 under Chief Executive Tim Cook.

A once leading candidate to replace Tim Cook as Apple’s CEO announced his retirement Tuesday. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who has worked at Apple for 27 years, will be replaced in a “long-planned succession” by Sabih Khan,

Apple said Jeff Williams, the company's COO, will take on a new role overseeing the company's design team along with the Apple Watch and health initiatives.