About | SPIRE Safety Engineering Ltd

Dan Hardwick

BEng (Hons) IEng MIET

Director, SPIRE

BEng (Hons) IEng MIET CEng (In Progress)

Professional Profile

Risk & Safety Engineering Specialist

Dan Hardwick is a risk and safety engineering specialist with over 25 years' experience evaluating complex risk scenarios, validating structured arguments, and assuring evidence-based decision-making in safety-critical environments.

His career spans frontline RAF aircraft maintenance, strategic engineering change management, Defence-wide workforce analysis, and ultimately the role of F-35 Lightning Safety Manager within DE&S — one of the most demanding safety assurance roles in the UK defence portfolio.

As Director of SPIRE Safety Engineering Ltd, Dan now brings this expertise to defence sector clients as an independent consultant — delivering the same rigour and professionalism of an embedded team member, with the objectivity and agility that only an independent can provide.

Dan is also at the forefront of the responsible integration of AI tools into safety engineering workflows — having been selected to evaluate Microsoft Copilot Pro for engineering applications, and currently authoring a paper on the governance of LLMs in safety assessment development.

Work with Dan

Career History

A Career Built on Safety-Critical Environments

Every engagement Dan undertakes is informed by 25 years of lived, operational experience in some of the UK's most demanding defence programmes.

2023 – 2026

F-35 Lightning Safety Manager

DE&S Lightning Delivery Team · RAF Marham

Lead safety and risk assurance manager for the UK's most advanced fast jet programme. Evaluated complex safety arguments, standardised assessment approaches, and implemented digital tooling that reduced delivery timelines by over 60% whilst maintaining full regulatory compliance.

2019 – 2023

Aircraft Mechanical Trade Role Analyst

Royal Air Force – Central Training School

Analysed aviation engineering roles for operational, safety, and regulatory alignment. Identified critical compliance risks in legacy practices, influencing senior leadership to suspend unsafe activities pending review. Led large-scale data analysis (1,100+ responses) informing workforce and risk decisions.

2013 – 2019

Lead Change Management Practitioner

Royal Air Force Marham

Led 50+ change initiatives across engineering and operational functions. Served as Lead Quality Auditor and Maintenance Error Investigator. Embedded structured problem-solving and risk awareness across teams of engineers and supervisors.

2000 – 2013

Mechanical Maintenance Manager & Engineering Roles

Royal Air Force

Progressive engineering and leadership roles in high-tempo, safety-critical aviation environments. Managed teams of up to 20 personnel delivering aircraft operations with zero safety incidents. Made real-time risk-based decisions balancing operational demands with airworthiness requirements.

Track Record

Key Achievements

60%+ Efficiency Gain — F35 Programme

Implemented digital tooling that reduced safety assessment delivery timelines by over 60% whilst maintaining full regulatory compliance and audit-readiness.

Defence-Wide Policy Influence

Shaped MOD-level policy through structured MAA OSA process, Defence training gap analysis and QEC Carrier hazard identification contributing to service-wide standards.

F-35 TASA MOD AET Compliance

Delivered fully compliant, audit-ready safety artefacts for the UK's most complex aviation programme under dual UK and US regulatory frameworks.

Legacy Risk Identification

Identified critical compliance risks in established legacy practices, successfully influencing senior decisions to suspend unsafe activities pending formal review.

AI Governance Pioneer

Selected to evaluate Microsoft Copilot Pro for engineering workflows; authoring a governance paper on LLM use in safety assessment — a first-mover contribution to the discipline.

Large-Scale Data Analysis

Conducted workforce risk analysis across 1,100+ responses, informing senior decision-making on engineering role competency requirements across the RAF.

Education

Qualifications

BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
Incorporated Engineer (IEng) – Engineering Council
Member of the IET (MIET)
Chartered Engineer (CEng) – Application in progress
System Safety Practitioner
Air Safety Management
Human Factors in Safety-Critical Systems

Professional Contribution

Community & Contribution

IET Professional Registration Assessor — Evaluating candidates for IEng and CEng registration.
Chair, IET Apprentice & Technician Awards Panel — Championing the next generation of engineers.
STEM Ambassador — Inspiring young people toward science and engineering careers.

Meet Dan Hardwick