The 71-year-old held a similar role with UEFA for 18 years before leaving in 2012 and his appointment continues the growing links between the Asian and European confederations in recent years.
"Having someone of his calibre join the AFC shows the attraction Asia has as global football's future powerhouse," AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement on Saturday.
Roxburgh, who will be based in Kuala Lumpur at AFC House, was previously sporting director at the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer but left that role last year.
The Scot has previous experience working in Asia on coaching projects in a number of countries and was also a part of FIFA's technical study group at six World Cups.
"Asia has great potential and I hope to use my experience for the benefit of the game throughout this amazing continent," said Roxburgh, who led his country to the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Europeans Championships.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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