Mr Davis had served as director of economic development and planning since January 2020 before stepping up to the caretaker chief executive position when predecessor Bill Millard quit in April 2022.

The council chief executive is the only council worker employed directly by the councillors, who are involved in the whole recruitment process, so Mr Davis had to pass a vote at the monthly shire meeting.

While the vote itself was confidential, mayor Ian Smith said he and the other councillors looked forward to continue working with Mr Davis as he begins a four-year term in charge.

"Brett has already established relationships with the councillors and staff and we look forward to those relationships developing further with him in his new role leading the organisation," Cr Smith said.

"The appointment of a CEO is one of the most important roles of councillors and we needed to be sure the successful candidate had the skills needed to help our communities in the recovery from the pandemic and to unlock the huge potential we have for growth. We have found that in Brett."

Cr Smith said Mr Davis stood out in a talented pool of potential recruits. His experience in the complex field of planning is likely to be an asset as Moyne's many small towns seek to manage growing populations.

Before joining council, Mr Davis was executive director for regional Victoria at the Victorian Planning Authority, and has been a member of the independent planning panels that decide complex planning cases that can't be solved at council level.

Mr Davis said he was honoured to get the full time role and excited to keep guiding Moyne Shire.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to work with our team and the councillors to support our communities who have done it really tough over the past two years and are now feeling the pinch of ongoing housing and workforce shortages," he said.

"There's lots to do and I'm really confident that working together with our community we can foster real change and further unlock the enormous potential our region has."

"I'm looking forward to getting on with the job."

Recruitment to replace Mr Davis' former role in economic development and planning will begin soon.

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