Since retiring from playing, Benkenstein has also been head coach of Hampshire.
After a spell as batting coach at Lancashire, he then took charge at Gloucestershire for two seasons before returning to Emirates Old Trafford as head coach before the 2024 season.
However, after relegation that summer, Benkenstein left the club in the middle of 2025 after a poor start to the campaign, with this new role at Durham his first job since then.
Durham director of cricket Marcus North added: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for Dale to return home to a club he knows inside out, and he will bring a huge amount of insight and experience to the group as we approach the 2026 season.”
