Heading into the final two years of his first term, President Obama is planning to shuffle several positions in the West Wing to bolster his political team and get fresh perspective, the New York Times reports.

“You’re not going to see wholesale changes, but there will be significant changes. I think that’s desirable,” said outgoing senior adviser David Axelrod, who is leaving the White House to focus on Obama's reelection campaign.  “This is a bubble. It’s been an intense couple of years, and there’s an advantage to bringing in folks who have a fresh set of senses — smell, touch and feel — about what’s going on out there.”

David Plouffe, who managed Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, will replace Axelrod as the president's chief political adviser.

The President must also find a successor to Lawrence Summers, who served as the director of the National Economic Council. The Times reports that two Clinton-era officials, Treasury counselor Gene Sperling and Wall Street investment banker Roger Altman, are among the final contenders for the job.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in the same capacity during the latter part of the Bush Administration, is also expected to step down next year. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs may also leave his position in 2011.

The President is currently in Hawaii on vacation and announcement on the changes is not expected until the beginning of January.

Read the full story at the New York Times here.