Fiona Campbell starts in December and replaces Aysha Rafaele, who is setting up a factual drama hub within BBC Studios.
BBC Studios' documentary unit has been behind content ranging from several of the shows from Louis Theroux, to Life & Death Row and the upcoming Inside the Foreign Office.
BBC Studios' documentary unit works with film making talent to produce exceptional, thought-provoking factual television, including observational access series, history and arts.
Lisa Opie, managing director of BBC Studios factual, says "Fiona is an extraordinary program maker, with incredible experience and expertise spanning current affairs, factual and digital, both in production and in commissioning".
"Documentaries provide a real opportunity for our business to grow, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, and I'm delighted to have someone of Fiona's calibre leading our world-class documentary unit"
Fiona Campbell says "It's a dream come true from my time as an aspiring filmmaker in Belfast to lead BBC Studios' documentary unit".
"It will be a privilege to collaborate with and support some of the country's leading and exciting new directors and authorial voices."
"We live in a time of rapidly changing media consumption, which presents great creative and commercial opportunities. I can't think of a better place to seize them and shape the future than in BBC Studios."
