Dartmouth has hired a new assistant town administrator.

Chris Vitale, currently the assistant town manager in Leicester, has been selected to fill the vacancy left when former Assistant Town Manager Cody Haddad exited in January to accept the Town Administrator position in Halifax.

The town has come to an agreement with Vitale and he will be introduced to the community some time in May, Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes said at the March 27 Select Board meeting.

MacInnes told the board that the job search and subsequent interviews went well. “We were fortunate to get a number of qualified applicants,’’ MacInnes said. 

Prior to serving in Leicester, Vitale was the Economic Development Coordinator and later the Director of Economic Development and Communications in Bristol, R.I. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Roger Williams University and a masters degree in strategic communications from the University of Iowa. 

Vitale, who lives in Rhode Island, earned praise from Select Board members.

“I’m very pleased he has grant writing experience,’’ and has worked at managing grants and proposals, Select Board member Heidi Silva Brooks said.

“We’re going to be very happy’’ with the choice, Select Board chair Stanley Mickelson said. “We’ve got a winner.’’