ITV Border political editor Peter MacMahon is stepping down after more than a decade in the role to pursue other unspecified opportunities. He said he will leave at the end of the year.

MacMahon has been a familiar figure at the Holyrood parliament since moving to television in September 2013 from The Scotsman where he was deputy editor. He worked as a press secretary to the First Minister from 2000 to 2001.

At ITV Border he has presented the politics programme Representing Border, and worked for news programme Lookaround.

“It has been fantastic. Two referendums, six UK and Scottish elections, local council votes,’ he said in a social media post.

“Reporting all of that has been a huge responsibility, which I hope has been discharged well, and I’ve been part of a brilliant ITV Border team in Holyrood.

“However, there comes a time when you have to make a change, and that time is nearly here. At the end of the year I will step down to pursue some other, different, challenges and opportunities. “More on that when we get it”, as we say in TV!”

The job has been advertised with a salary of between £60,000 and £75,000.