Williams have confirmed the impending departure of chief technical officer Pat Symonds amid reports Paddy Lowe is set to leave Mercedes to assume the position.

Symonds joined Williams in 2013 and helped oversee a turnaround in the team's performance, but will leave his role on December 31.

Lowe has been widely tipped to make the switch from the constructors' champions with his current deal as executive director (technical) set to expire at the end of the year, though Ferrari have also been linked.

Confirmation of Symonds' replacement is yet to be provided, but deputy team principal Claire Williams thanked him for his service.

"Pat has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years," she said in an official team statement.

"Pat's appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today.

"I would like to thank him for all of his hard work and commitment during that time. We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the team's technical leadership in due course."