Alan Palmer
Earl Shilton,Leicestershire
Summary
A dedicated professional with expertise in vehicle engineering design and problem-solving, adept at project control and management. Demonstrates strong team building and collaboration skills, coupled with motivational leadership. A clear and concise communicator committed to driving excellence in all projects undertaken. Experienced in working in high-pressure engineering environments, delivering complex projects from concept to production. Known for attention to detail with a passion for quality and design optimisation, balanced with commercial awareness to deliver projects on-time and on-budget.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work history
Project Manager
RML Group Ltd
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
08.2024 - 06.2026
- Responsible for the delivery (from concept to production) of RML's flagship supercar project - the RML GT Hypercar. (https://www.rmlgroup.com/p39)
- Guide the development of project objectives to establish a clear vehicle specification & technical requirement documents for each vehicle area.
- In collaboration with Engineering, Purchasing & Manufacturing, define the engineering task release schedule (ETRS) to meet timings for the prototype car. Identify resource requirements for each department to meet their goals.
- Facilitate selection of key project partners. Support ongoing partner liaison in order to meet project requirements & timings.
- Approve engineering releases for manufacture & procurement. Monitor & chase due dates for parts to ensure on-time delivery.
- Coordinate the build & testing of the prototype car. Ensure clear documentation of all development issues in the CCC (concern, cause & correction) system. Expedite issue resolution to minimise project delays.
- Manage & report on expenditure (parts & labour) against agreed budgets. Control unnecessary expenditure & escalate unplanned expenditure for approval.
- Report on project status (weekly) to the project board meeting. Promote open & clear communication to identify risks & proposed mitigations.
- Generate, maintain & publish a high level project timing plan, showing the staircase of customer car manufacture through each build phase.
- Ensure the specification of each unique customer car is clearly documented in time for all bespoke parts to be manufactured & delivered on time.
- Review parts & build quality issues to ensure each car is produced to the exacting requirements expected by ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Lead Project Engineer
RML Group Ltd
12.2020 - 07.2024
- Responsible for leading all engineering activities (& supporting broader project management responsibilities) to design, develop & test 24 authentic reproductions of a 1965 Le Mans winning sports car.
- Develop high-level customer brief into detailed customer-approved vehicle-area specification documents.
- Produce resource timing plans to meet project gateways. Measure & report on project progress. Re-plan & implement changes (when required).
- BOM generation, maintenance & engineering change management.
- Host design reviews & sign-off engineering drawings.
- Produce status reports for senior management & 'the customer'.
- Ensure design spend & BOM costs are monitored against budget.
- Chair weekly team meetings, motivate the team & lead-by-example to encourage good communication & collaboration.
- Plan & coordinate validation testing. Support prototype & production builds. Ensure all issues are tracked & corrective actions implemented.
- Document lessons learnt & champion continuous improvement.
Design Team Leader / Senior Design Team Leader
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Hinckley, Leicestershire
10.2004 - 06.2020
- Responsible for design, development & implementation of complete new motorcycles from concept through to volume production.
- Leader of a team of up to 30 dedicated engineers. Deliver each new motorcycle project to exacting specifications & to strict time constraints.
- Work in close collaboration with project managers, product planners, powertrain leaders, purchasers, technology providers, production engineers, specialist engineers, component suppliers & development specialists.
- Determine (multi £M) annual budget requirements. Monitor, control & report on agreed spending.
- Direct & inspire engineering solutions & continuous improvement. Ensure latest best-practices & highest levels of quality & attention-to-detail are followed.
- Approve change requests, engineering drawings, technical reports & test approvals.
- Encourage professional development of direct reports through day-to-day interactions & annual performance appraisals.
- Assist in engineering selection & recruitment.
Design / Project / Senior Project Engineer
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.
, Leicestershire
07.1996 - 09.2004
- Responsible for detailed engineering design of motorcycle components & systems.
- Collaborate with team members & suppliers to ensure technical & manufacturing requirements are met.
- Create fully detailed engineering drawings for all purchased & in-house manufactured components, including systems & scheme drawings.
- Plan & conduct component & whole vehicle testing to ensure compliance to appropriate in-house or industry technical standards.
- Write technical reports & approvals.
- Work to strict project timing requirements.
Education
Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons) -
Loughborough University
Leicestershire 09/1992 - 06/1996
A-Levels - Maths, Physics & Further Maths
William Parker School
Hastings, E.SussexSkills
- Project coordination & management
- Vehicle engineering design & problem-solving
- Decision-making capacity
- Experienced in high-pressure engineering environments
- Attention-to-detail
- Motivational leadership, recruitment & people management
- Passion for quality & design optimisation
- Clear & concise communicator
- Budgeting oversight
- Project lifecycle expertise
Hobbies & interests
- Squash (active club player, ex-team player)
- Live sport (especially football & motor racing)
- Home & garden improvements & D.I.Y. (rarely without a project on the go)
- 2014-2019 amateur racing driver (Smart4Two Cup champion in 2016 & 2017)
- 2008-2022 youth football (FA level 1 coach, referee & trained first-aider)
References
Full details available on request.
Timeline
Project Manager
RML Group Ltd
08.2024 - 06.2026
Lead Project Engineer
RML Group Ltd
12.2020 - 07.2024
Design Team Leader / Senior Design Team Leader
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
10.2004 - 06.2020
Design / Project / Senior Project Engineer
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.
07.1996 - 09.2004
Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons) -
Loughborough University
09/1992 - 06/1996
A-Levels - Maths, Physics & Further Maths
William Parker School