Julian Dicks has left his managerial role at non-league Heybridge to team up with Slaven Bilic again.
The pair worked together at West Ham and have now been reunited as Bilic continues to mould his backroom staff.
Dicks replaces the departing Jimmy Shan as Albion's Assistant Head Coach and said it was an easy decision to join the Baggies - and his old room mate.
“I’ve known Slav for a long, long time. We shared rooms together on the away trips, he used to make my coffee, but now I make them for him.
“We have a great relationship and we’ve stayed in touch,” said the former West Ham and Liverpool defender.
“Tactically he is very astute and when we were at West Ham he was very calming. Sometimes I think if I’d have been manager I’d have come in and had a go at the players. Sometimes they need that, of course they do, but he was very calming.
“When he left West Ham I went to be the manager of Heybridge in the Bostik North and a lot of what Slav did at West Ham I took with me to Heybridge.
“Before, when I managed, if we got beat I’d hammer the players but I took a lot from Slav. Because if you get beat you don’t have to have a go at the players and I took a lot of that with me. I think the players I managed were very surprised. From that point of view he’s really good.”