Reverend Richard Kerr, who was selected for the top role in the PCI last month, will be officially nominated, elected and installed as Moderator of the General Assembly when it meets in June for one year.
Rev Kerr takes up the position in the midst of a safeguarding scandal that has rocked the PCI, resulting in a criminal investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has also begun a review into the matter.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Rev Kerr described the failings of the Presbyterian Church as "totally unacceptable".
He said the denomination was committed to reform and addressing the consequences of those failures.
Raised in Donegal, Rev Kerr has lived and ministered both north and south of the border.
He emphasised his commitment to serving the church across the island during his year in office.
On the issue of safeguarding practices in the church, he drew a distinction between what he described as robust safeguarding practices in many local congregations and failures at central level.
"My experience on the ground, north and south, is that safeguarding in local congregations has been done well," he said.
However, he acknowledged that central safeguarding systems had "not been fit for purpose".
The PCI is establishing a new safeguarding department, which the Moderator Designate has said will be adequately staffed to prevent recurrence.
On the issue of redress, he described it as "an open page". However, he pointed out that he was "very open to what might be suggested, what might be recommended, how we might best do that".
Despite calls from some in the wider PCI congregation for meaningful accountability and restorative action through an independent inquiry, Rev Kerr expressed confidence in the independence of the mandated review by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, which he stated was being conducted by individuals outside the denomination.
"We have nothing to hide," he said. "If there is dirty laundry, it needs to be brought into the open," he said.
He declined to provide timelines for the investigations but suggested that the charity commission would conclude sooner than the PSNI investigation.
Rev Kerr said he would be willing to meet victims of the safeguarding scandal.
Last year, a dossier, seen by RTÉ News, criticised the church's handling of discipline, pastoral care, internal governance, and compliance with its obligations as a registered charity.
Asked if he would also meet those subjected to bullying in the church, Rev Kerr said he was willing "in principle" to meet individuals who felt harmed, including those affected by safeguarding failures or allegations of bullying within church structures.
However, he pointed out that his term is for one year and cautioned that expectations must be realistic given the moderator's limited executive power within PCI’s democratic structure.
While he stressed his desire to listen, he said that such meetings would need to be handled sensitively to avoid raising unrealistic expectations or re-traumatisation.
Watch: Moderator Designate of the PCI profusely apologises for safeguarding failures
The PCI is widely known to use non-disclosure agreements.
When asked about his views on this practice, Rev Kerr said he approached the matter with "a fairly open mind".
He acknowledged their use was common in business, but acknowledged that the optics were "not particularly good" for a church.
He rejected suggestions that PCI operated under a culture of secrecy and said greater openness would be central to restoring confidence.
"The only way to address any feelings that people may have that there’s something to hide is by being open about what we are doing," he said.
He pointed to structural changes underway in the church to increase accountability, including a recent decision to separate the previously combined roles of clerk and general secretary.
On broader equality issues, Rev Kerr reaffirmed PCI’s long-standing policy of ordaining women - a practice in place for 50 years - and said he wished to affirm women’s leadership within the church.
Asked how he felt about taking up the role at this time in the church’s history, Rev Kerr acknowledged it was a difficult moment.
"I don’t come into this thinking, 'Isn’t this wonderful?’ I come with fear and trepidation," he said.
He described a sense of calling rooted in faith and expressed hope that he would help rebuild trust within a disillusioned membership.
"There’s a lot of work to be done to rebuild that trust," he said. "That won’t happen overnight… but I do hope I can make a difference this year."