Bronwyn Bishop parting ways with her right-hand man Damien Jones

Mrs Bishop's long-time right-hand man, Damien Jones, is preparing to leave her office at the end of this week.

Mr Jones was Mrs Bishop's chief of staff and spokesman until she resigned last month over an expenses scandal that sparked public outrage.

His highly paid position was made redundant when Mrs Bishop moved to the backbench and he has decided not to stay on in another capacity.

It's understood Mr Jones plans to move to a private sector job.

"That's the way politics rolls, you just move on," Mr Jones told Fairfax Media.

Mr Jones was due to leave Mrs Bishop's employ last week but it is understood Special Minister of State Michael Ronaldson granted him a two-week extension in his $190,000 "senior adviser" job.

Sources say the extension was given because Mr Jones is needed to deal with the fallout of the ongoing Finance Department audit into all of Mrs Bishop's expenses. There's a possibility his employment could be extended further, sources say.

Mr Jones emerged as a central figure in the scandal that brought down Mrs Bishop.

He helped organise Mrs Bishop's infamous $5000 helicopter ride to cover the short distance from Melbourne to Geelong to attend a Liberal Party fundraising event in November last year.

It later emerged the political lobbyist paid to set up the chopper charter was Mr Jones' best friend, Andrew Gibbs. Mr Gibbs was also paid to line up a Sydney to Nowra plane charter.

It's unclear what Mr Jones' move means for his own political ambitions. Insiders say he has long been hoping to replace Mrs Bishop in her coveted Sydney northern beaches electorate of Mackellar when she retires.

Indeed, Mrs Bishop endorsed Mr Jones for the position when she addressed the Liberal party room last month.

Mr Jones was once considered a shoo-in for pre-selection. He has more than 15 years' experience in party positions, sits on the NSW Liberals' state executive and is married to NSW Liberal MP Natasha Maclaren-Jones.

But some believe the scandal has damaged his chances. Party sources now believe former NSW Liberal leader John Brogden is front runner for the seat, despite his public claims to the contrary.

But while Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared Mrs Bishop's career "substantially at an end" when she resigned, the veteran Liberal warrior has insisted she intends to contest the next election.

That's despite the fact she would earn more by retiring than she earns as a backbencher. Given the time she's been in Parliament and the roles she has served in, she would retire on a pension of $255,000 a year.