Gov. Maura Healey began the week by following through on a longstanding campaign promise, announcing Monday morning she had found a seasoned hand to lead the state’s transportation safety initiatives.

“Pat Lavin is a dedicated public transportation expert who shares our administration’s commitment to improving safety and reliability across our transportation system, including the MBTA,” Healey said in a written statement. “We created this position to ensure we had a senior official coordinating efforts across all modes of transportation and driving strategies across the system to improve safety for riders and workers.”

According to Healey’s staff, Lavin will begin his $ 325,000-a-year job as MassDOT Chief Safety Officer on May 8 and comes into the newly created role with over 40 years of experience working in transit.

Lavin has been serving as director of safety at K & J Safety and Security Consulting Services since 2019 and was chief safety officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and senior director for operations in the Office of System Safety for the New York City Transit before that.

In his new role, Lavin is tasked with “ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all employees, passengers, and the public, in all modes of transportation, including rail, bus, commuter rail, paratransit, and highway,” and will report to the Secretary of Transportation and the recently hired MBTA General Manager.

“Prioritizing safety for our customers and our workers must be a daily priority in our transportation system, and Pat has the experience and expertise that is needed as we improve safety for all,” MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said along with the hiring announcement.

The creation of the role comes following several high-profile incidents involving the MBTA or on its properties, some fatal, and after the Federal Transit Administration took the nearly unprecedented step of requiring the state’s beleaguered transportation system undergo a safety inspection and respond to a list of remedial demands.

Healey promised she would find someone to spearhead the state’s transportation safety efforts both before and after her November election, a proposal she paired with a 60-day timeline to complete. Lavin’s hiring Monday marked 50 days past that self-imposed deadline.

“I am looking forward to working collaboratively with the MassDOT team, agency personnel, local stakeholders, and our federal partners to improve safety at the T and at a broader level across the state,” Lavin said in a statement.