Shoalhaven Heads' Murphy, who retired from international competition in 2019 after making 646 appearances for her country, has been appointed to the full-time role, where she'll oversee the full high performance (HP) contingent of squads and athletes.

The former Bomaderry High School student steps into the assistant role following in the footsteps of Gary Willis, who recently took the reins as the senior national coach, having started her career in the sport at the same time as Willis more than 30 years ago.

After learning of her appointment, Murphy said she was appreciative of the opportunity and eager to get started in the role.

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"I'm very excited to start and looking forward to the challenge, as I've always enjoyed coaching and have a real passion for it," Murphy said in a statement.

"Knowing the players and the system will be a huge benefit for the position, and giving the players what they need is of the utmost importance.

"There's been a big change in the high-performance program, with a new coach and now assistant, but we are hoping to bring a fresh approach and some new ideas.

"It's a support role and I'm there to support Gary in everything, these are really exciting times."

National coach Gary Willis said Murphy, who is in the Sydney Lions squad for the upcoming Bowls Premier League season, was a standout applicant and welcomed her appointment on behalf of the wider Jackaroos team.

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"Having known Karen for a very long time, she is unquestionably the best person for this position and we're thrilled that she will play an instrumental role in helping shape the future direction of the sport's high-performance players," Willis said.

"Karen brings so much to the table, having not only an understanding of what it takes to win just about every accolade the sport has to offer, but has also been an integral leader of the high-performance program as a vice-captain, and having developed her coaching pedigree over many years.

"There's no better person to help guide the development of the nation's best players, and the Australian Jackaroos contingent as a whole is excited to welcome Karen to the position."

As part of her remit, Murphy will also oversee the management of the state-based pathway coaches, who are charged with the daily case management of emerging Jackaroos, pathways Jackaroos and Para-sport Jackaroos squad members across the nation.

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