Kory Teneycke, Stephen Harper's director of communications, is shown on Sept. 11, 2008, in Montreal. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

Kory Teneycke, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's director of communications, is resigning, CBC News has learned.

Teneycke said he told Harper just after Canada Day and before the G8 meeting in Italy earlier this month that he was going to step down.

"It's time to do something else, and the summer is a natural time to leave political jobs," he said.

Teneycke leaves the post just over a year into the position. He had replaced Sandra Buckler.

Teneycke added that his decision to leave had nothing to do with Harper's troubled G8 trip.

During the summit, Harper had to apologize after he publicly attacked his rival Michael Ignatieff for a comment the Liberal leader never made. One of Harper's senior assistants, Dimitri Soudas, stepped forward to take the blame for the misattribution and for misinforming his boss.

Teneycke said he wants to spend more time with his two boys, ages two and four, and that "family is an important part of this decision" but is not the only reason for his departure.

He said he will stay at the Prime Minister's Office until a replacement has been found but did not say what he would do next.

"I recommend public service to everyone, but this is a job, not a career," he said. "This is not something you do forever."