Mr Leary has come on board at Leeton Shire Council as the director of business and investment - a position which was created during a recent restructure.

Growing up in Dubbo before moving to the big smoke in Sydney, Mr Leary said it was both of these experiences that were assisting him in the role at Leeton council.

Having worked with the state government across several departments such as Infrastructure NSW, Treasury NSW and other roles across different agencies, Mr Leary said these positions gave him plenty to ponder for the job here.

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His 15 years in state government then led to consultancy work in more recent times.

"Country NSW is very natural in the way I like to do things ... it's been a natural progression for me," Mr Leary said.

"I split my time between here, Sydney and Dubbo. The flexibility is really great. I'm familiar with the area here, so to be able to work here and help council achieve its goals is really great.

"A lot of what I have done the first few months here is the human element. Getting to know the staff here and the community too."

Mr Leary's role primarily focuses on council's strategic plans going into the future.

This involves everything from being involved in council's big projects to its finances and how it is placed.

"It's also about providing leadership on things like the WR Connect project, we've also got some really big opportunities here with our industrial land at Vance Estate and potentially elsewhere," Mr Leary said.

As part of his broad role, Mr Leary also wants to help council expand on childcare services currently offered in the shire.

All of these issues are ones that need addressing in order to ensure the shire is well placed not just now, but sustainable into the future.

"One of the key things I see council has to lean into is that we understand our strengths and that we consistent in how we play into that," Mr Leary said.

"We're a relatively young demographic. We need to make sure we use that ... we need to make sure we get things like childcare and affordable housing right.

"We don't want to rest on our laurels."

While Mr Leary will work on specific projects, his goal will be to make sure council handles its approach to many areas in a strategic and effective manner.

"If you understand what your organisation is about ... it changes the way you think and where you start from when it comes to your goals and what you want to achieve," he said.