Sam Dolnick is leaving his post as deputy sports editor at The New York Times to become a senior editor for mobile, a role in which he will "help define our vision for the best Times experience on all mobile devices," according to an internal announcement from executive editor Dean Baquet.

The move reflects the growing importance of mobile at the Times and other news outlets, which are adjusting to rapidly shifting consumer reader habits. Baquet said mobile is "roughly half of our traffic," and the Times has been rolling out a suite of new paid products tailored to mobile readers, such as the NYT Now app.

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It is also indicative of the rise of a key figure within the fifth generation of the Ochs-Sulzberger family that controls the paper. Dolnick is a grandnephew of former Times publisher Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger. His cousins, strategy editor Arthur Gregg Sulzberger and digital product manager David Perpich, are Punch's grandsons. All three are seen as potential future leaders of the Times Company.

Previously, Dolnick was a metro reporter, a role in which he won a Polk award.

Baquet said he "will work closely with Alex Hardiman, the executive director of mobile, and her team on the business side," reflecting the new spirit of cross-department cooperation that is being encouraged internally.

Baquet's full memo about Dolnick's appointment is below:

I am pleased to announce that Sam Dolnick will become the senior editor devoted to The Times' increasingly important future on mobile.

As many of you know, roughly half of our traffic is now on mobile -- higher still on weekends and other off-hours. Our apps and presentation on the mobile web are already popular and well regarded. NYT Now has demonstrated how much more is possible, even essential, as our readers migrate to mobile.

Sam has shown an infectious enthusiasm for every role he has taken in the newsroom. He has excelled as a Metro reporter (where he won a Polk award) and in his current job as deputy sports editor (where he edited some of our most compelling enterprise pieces.)

This new assignment will be broader: He will help define our vision for the best Times experience on all mobile devices. Earlier this month, a small but exceptionally experienced and talented group from the newsroom and business side began an intensive exercise to answer some of the fundamental questions about our mobile future. Sam is deeply involved in this effort.

Sam will work closely with Alex Hardiman, the executive director of mobile, and her team on the business side to make that vision reality.

He will also partner with the newsroom's platforms team; designers; the keepers of our ever-important digital publishing systems; and Cliff Levy, who heads up NYT Now.

At this time of change on so many fronts, no job is more important.