About Dean

Personal Summary

Dean is a versatile chartered engineer educated to master’s degree level in Mechanical Engineering with over 15 years’ experience in the nuclear, defence, motorsport and automotive industries.  He is broadly experienced in the field of mechanical engineering with a core skill set in the design, analysis and substantiation of mechanical equipment and structures.  He possesses a sound understanding of fundamental engineering principles, and is able to develop robust, pragmatic design solutions for complex engineering problems.

 

He has a variety of experience in a range of industries:  From the nuclear industry; in the design, analysis and substantiation of bespoke mechanical equipment for high integrity applications, a heavily regulated industry requiring work to be of the highest standard.  Through to the motorsport industry; in the design and analysis of a broad range of parts and assemblies for a Formula 1 car, both metallic and composite, a competitive environment requiring work to be completed to extremely tight deadlines.

 

Dean has a proven track record in the technical delivery of engineering projects from optioneering and feasibility through to manufacture, build,  validation / commissioning.  He is also experienced in engineering management, and is capable of leading teams of multi-disciplined engineers and contractors to deliver complex engineering projects.

Skills & Experience

  • Design, analysis and substantiation of mechanical structures and equipment, employing metallic, polymeric and composite materials.
  • Able to design using a variety of CAD packages, and analyse components and structures using a mixture of hand calculations and FEA packages.  Experience in using a variety of software packages including but not limited to; Microsoft Office (inc. Project), Mathcad, Autodesk Inventor, Pro-Engineer, SolidWorks, Unigraphics NX, Catia V5/V6 (including structural analysis), Abaqus, HyperWorks (Optistruct).
  • Extensive experience in technical report writing, e.g. scopes of work, process instructions, technical specifications, design justification reports, design substantiation reports and supporting calculations.
  • Accustomed to the application of a range of risk mitigation / assessment techniques, e.g. FMECAs, HAZIDs, HAZOPs, as well as the principles of ALARP and hierarchy of control measures (ERICPD).
  • Able to work well individually, or as part of a dynamic multidisciplinary design team, as well as lead and manage small / medium sized teams in technical delivery.
  • Able to develop, manage and monitor progress of engineering programmes.
  • Experienced in working with a range of engineering standards, e.g. BS 2573, BS EN 13001 and F.E.M. 1.001, as well as MoD JSP 467 and JSP 482, and ASCE 4-16 (seismic analysis).
  • Specialist experience in design optimisation techniques, e.g. topology.
  • Specialist experience in the design of equipment for handling of hazardous materials / use in hazardous environments, e.g. explosive and nuclear materials.

Education & Qualifications

  • MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
  • Suitably Qualified & Experienced (SQEP) Senior Engineering Manager
  • Suitably Qualified & Experienced (SQEP) Senior Mechanical Engineer
  • Suitably Qualified & Experienced (SQEP) Quality Control Practitioner

Training

  • Rolls Royce Nuclear Safety Basics
  • Altair Hyperworks

Work History

Gattaca Projects

Lead Engineer (Contract) – April 2020 to Present

Responsible for coordinating the technical delivery of high integrity mechanical handling equipment, technically managing external contractors on behalf of the client. From inception; interpretation of user requirements and authoring of tender documentation (Scopes of Work and Technical Requirement Specifications), through to design, manufacture and commissioning of the equipment.  Throughout, responsible for coordinating design development and delivery of supporting documentation, ensuring designs are compliant with relevant design standards and robustly substantiated in line with client requirements.

MoD Establishment (Client Confidential)

Lead Engineer (Contract) – January 2018 to April 2020

Responsible for coordinating the technical delivery of high integrity mechanical handling and containment equipment, technically managing external contractors on behalf of the client.

Forward Composites

Consultant Engineer (Contract) – July 2017 to January 2018

Reporting directly to the Technical Director, this was a chief / principal engineering role which involved supporting and overseeing the technical output of the design office, primarily in the design and analysis of composite components and structures, as well as the associated tooling for manufacture.  Assisted in the development of design office systems and procedures; from those associated with costing and bidding for work, through to those that interfaced with production.

Penso Consulting

Lead Engineer (Contract) – June 2016 to July 2017

Technical Lead working with a multidisciplinary engineering team; responsible for coordinating the technical delivery of multiple packages of work, ranging from armoured vehicle subsystems through to carbon fibre vehicle body structures and miscellaneous components for high end production vehicles.  Projects covered the full engineering lifecycle; from initial design, prototype, design development, through to medium volume production.

MoD Establishment (Client Confidential)

Engineering Manager (Contract) – December 2014 to June 2016

Engineering Manager working with a multidisciplinary team, responsible for coordinating the technical delivery of a large package of work primarily made up of high integrity, safety critical Process, Plant and Equipment.  Involved working closely with the team, made up of internal and external staff, contractors and technical specialists, to realise engineered solutions that meet both the customer and nuclear safety case requirements.  To ensure compliant and licensable designs within the cost and schedule constraints of the project. Other responsibilities included acting as a technical specialist in engineering design and analysis on behalf of the client; supporting design and analysis rationalisation across various areas of the project in support of cost and schedule optimisation.  Also supporting and advising senior management on key business decisions.

 

Mechanical Handling Engineer (Contract) – April 2014 to December 2014

Providing mechanical engineering support in the design, substantiation and integration of high integrity nuclear and explosive implicated mechanical handling and process equipment within a large multidisciplinary project. Working with the supply chain on behalf of the client ensuring engineered solutions and the supporting substantiation are pragmatic and fit for purpose, whilst meeting the requirements of the safety case.

Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Stress Engineer – July 2012 to April 2014

Stress Engineer within the Structures Department, jointly responsible for the structural analysis of all parts critical to the performance and reliability of the car.  Duties included the analysis of both metallic and composite parts and assemblies using a range of analysis techniques including hand calculations and finite element analysis.  Work involved the analysis of parts and production of concise technical reports for designers and senior management, working to extremely tight deadlines.  Analyses generally included review of strength, stiffness and/or fatigue, with the typical aim to produce parts that are as stiff and lightweight as possible.  Main responsibilities included; uprights and associated bracketry, axles, suspension wishbones, front wing and impact structure, and tyre modelling.  Other responsibilities within the department included maintaining and developing analysis methods and techniques.  

Atkins, Defence – August 2008 to July 2012

Engineering Consultant – August 2008 to July 2012

Worked on a number of multidisciplinary projects providing a range of engineering services to clients in the defence and nuclear industries.  Technical responsibilities typically included designing and assessing the integrity of bespoke equipment.  Non-technical responsibilities typically included delegate team management, which included resourcing a team of 10 technical staff and supporting interviewing activities in the recruitment programme.  Example projects:  Detailed design and substantiation of a group of tools for use in the defueling of submarines; and detailed design and substantiation of a series of high integrity blast and containment doors.

Design and analysis of bespoke equipment typically involved producing design drawings, comprehensive design substantiation calculations and design substantiation reports.

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