President Obama was scheduled to meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon with William M. Daley, the former Clinton administration commerce secretary who has emerged as the leading contender for the role of White House chief of staff.

Tim Boyle/Bloomberg William M. Daley in April.

Mr. Daley was set to hold a series of meetings in the West Wing, an official said, including one with Gene Sperling, who is expected on Friday to be named as director of the National Economic Council. The president has not made a final decision on either of the two men, but an official said the jobs were so closely intertwined a meeting was necessary.

As Republicans assumed power in the House on Wednesday, mr. Obama said that he was moving swiftly to implement a reorganization plan that would guide the White House through a new period of divided government and a slow economic recovery.

The president, in a brief telephone interview, said he was eager to assemble his team, and to begin preparing for the State of the Union address and the final two years of his first term.

“The American people are expecting us to hit the ground running and start working with this new Congress to promote job growth and keep the recovery going,” mr. Obama said. “We’re not going to be dilly-dallying along when it comes to making sure that we’re executing on behalf of the American people.”

Mr. Daley, who is the younger brother of Richard Daley, the outgoing mayor of Chicago, has told associates that he would accept the position of chief of staff if it was offered by the president. A final decision was not expected by mr. Obama until a vetting was finished by a team of White House lawyers.

Pete Rouse, who has served as the interim chief of staff since Rahm Emanuel resigned the post to run for Chicago mayor, was reluctant to take the position permanently. But an official said the president could still ask him to remain if the position is not offered to mr. Daley.

“You’ll be seeing announcements in due course,” mr. Obama said. “Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

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