Needham has been at the NME in the post of associate editor since 2001, when he joined from Emap's The Face where he was features editor.
In his new role as second in command to editor Conor McNicholas, he will be responsible for developing the title's editorial, including selecting writers and photographers and generating NME-branded events. He will also continue to write for the magazine.
"Alex was the driving force behind NME's coverage of the Glastonbury festival and the joint Reading and Leeds events this year -- both massive-selling issues. He left the competition for dust through his informative, witty and imaginative coverage of the festivals," McNicholas said.
During his career, Needham has written entertainment and music titles such as Entertainment Weekly, ES Magazine, Observer Life, Pop, Heat, Butt, Vice and Deluxe.
He joined Smash Hits in 1996 as a junior reporter, rising through the ranks to assistant editor until he joined The Face as features editor in 1999.
"NME is an iconic title and is currently the best it's been for years. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to make it even better and to continue working with such a fantastic team of people," Needham said.
McNicholas took over the editorship of the NME in June 2002 from Ben Knowles, who left after the title lost its crown as the number one weekly music magazine to rival Emap publication Kerrang!.
Since taking his position in the editor's chair, McNicholas has overseen the title reclaiming its place as the number one music weekly market and a revamp earlier this year.
In the last set of ABCs for the January to June 2003 period, NME posted a circulation of 72,443, down 1.2% on the previous period, but up 0.5% on the same period in 2002.
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