In a dramatic changing of the guard, Radhika Jones, the editorial director of the books department at The New York Times and a former top editor at Time magazine, is expected to be named the next editor of Vanity Fair, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

Condé Nast, which publishes Vanity Fair, plans to make the announcement as soon as Monday.

Ms. Jones, 44, will succeed the 68-year-old Graydon Carter, who said in September that he was stepping down from the glossy general-interest magazine after a 25-year run at its helm.

A spokeswoman for Condé Nast declined to comment. The Times also declined to comment.

In anointing Ms. Jones, who holds degrees from Harvard College and Columbia University, Vanity Fair has placed its future in the hands of a woman — the first since Tina Brown served as the magazine’s editor from 1984 until 1992 — who has cultivated the kind of sophistication and prestige that Condé Nast has long valued.

Mr. Carter’s announcement two months ago set off a race to inherit his throne and ignited speculation across the media industry. In a magazine business that has lost much of its luster in recent years, Vanity Fair has largely retained its glow, and its editorship remains one of the most coveted in the business.