Mr Johnson, currently Latrobe City Council governance general manager, will begin his five-year term August 31. He replaces retiring chief executive Lyndon Webb.

Born and raised in Sale, Mr Johnson previously worked for East Gippsland Shire Council, the State Department of Treasury and Finance and Parks Victoria.

Mayor Darren McCubbin said Mr Johnson would bring a lot of enthusiasm to his new role.

"Our present CEO will be a hard act to follow, but we believe Tim will take the organisation in a stable, but exciting direction,'' he said.

"He does have extensive experience, and over the next five years, I think we're in for a very exciting future.''

Deputy mayor Scott Rossetti said there were many candidates who could have filled the position.

"We're excited by our choice of Tim, having someone who knows the area well can only be good for our shire and I certainly look forward to working with him in the years to come,'' he said.