Andrew Charlton
Chester,Cheshire
Summary
Versatile and solutions-driven professional with outstanding strategic planning. A committed Project Manager and Senior Process Control and Instrumentation Engineer with over 30 years of experience in the Oil, Gas & Chemicals sector. Technical experience in the dual areas of Hardware and Software as well as a Chemical Engineering background; resulting in unique and unparalleled level of expertise. Possesses excellent interpersonal and communication skills, forging positive relationships with key stakeholders. Enjoys being part of, as well motivating, successful teams of engineers, especially when navigating through technically complex challenges.
Overview
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1
Language
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Certification
43
43
years of professional experience
Work History
Managing Director / Consultant
Universal Engineering Designs Ltd
Chester, Cheshire
06.2017 - Current
- Delivered engineering management expertise in process control, provided instrumentation engineering support and fault-finding expertise, and managed project activities while ensuring compliance with ISO9001 QA standards.
- Developed process control work process that minimised inefficiencies between interacting processes, diversifying customer offerings to support growth and sustainability of site operations.
- Operated engineering consultancy specialising in process control, instrumentation, and project management.
Electrical, Controls and Instrumentation Engineer
Haden Freeman Ltd
Manchester
11.2025 - 01.2026
- Provided technical support in developing project scope documentation for Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation, facilitating the return of Gas Cavities to active operation for the client.
- Exited position due to reduced workload and limited advancement opportunities.
- Conducted comprehensive system diagnostics and troubleshooting to maintain optimal performance levels.
- Updated and maintained accurate instrumentation documentation, including schematics and operation manuals.
- Participated in safety audits to identify and rectify potential hazards associated with instrumentation and control systems.
Process Controls Engineer
Evonik Chemicals Ltd
Manchester
03.2025 - 11.2025
- Created Electrical, Control & Instrumentation strategy for site, establishing foundational process control expertise.
- Implemented strategy that reduced nuisance alarms, ensuring safe plant operations.
- Delivered technical support for batch chemicals plant at Clayton, enhancing operational reliability.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Manager/Engineer
Brydon Wood
London
12.2024 - 01.2025
- Designed Electrical, Control & Instrumentation components, providing essential expertise to client lacking C&I knowledge.
- Contributed to initial FEL1 design of gasification project, transforming waste wood-chip into light gas feedstock for chemical production within Clean-Green Energy Project.
- Facilitated project progression, leading to current status of awaiting approval for next development phase.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Manager/Engineer
CIE Solutions
Runcorn
09.2024 - 12.2024
- Joined small Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation systems house to support small projects for various clients in development, procurement, implementation, and commissioning as EC&I Project Engineer on short-term contract, working at multiple customer sites.
- Executed installation contracts in accordance with approved Management of Change documents.
- Developed comprehensive project plans, outlining scopes, timelines, and resources, facilitating smooth execution.
- Facilitated regular team meetings and stakeholder updates, fostering open communication and collaborative problem-solving.
- Coordinated with clients to define project objectives and requirements, ensuring alignment with business goals.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Engineer
BakerHicks
Manchester
07.2024 - 08.2024
- Joined BH as EC&I Project Engineer on contract basis, contributing to project delivery.
- Revised outdated AutoCAD drawings, ensuring accuracy and compliance with project standards, enhancing overall project quality.
- Coordinated with architects, contractors, and stakeholders to facilitate seamless project delivery, minimising disruptions and maximising efficiency.
- Coordinated project plans to execute major upgrades, successfully guiding technical teams in achieving project goals.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Engineer
Innospec Inc
Ellesmere Port
10.2023 - 07.2024
- Oversaw major turnaround and two reactor replacement project for Performance Chemicals plant, while improving plant performance through loop tuning.
- Resolved persistent alarm issues to enhance system reliability and minimise downtime.
- Joined Innospec Inc, Ellesmere Port as EC&I project engineer on contract.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Design Manager
James Fisher & Sons Ltd / James Fisher Nuclear Ltd
03.2023 - 08.2023
- Managed electrical, control and instrumentation aspects of projects, allocating resources and supporting staff to ensure project delivery.
- Joined James Fisher & Sons as Design Manager for Bamber Bridge operations, overseeing design processes and project execution.
- Contributed to formation of James Fisher Nuclear, integrating operations of Bamber Bridge office under new organisational structure.
- August 9th, 2023, James Fisher Nuclear entered into administration and all operations out of Bamber Bridge ceased.
Projects Manager
M&I Materials Ltd
Trafford Park, Manchester
03.2022 - 11.2022
- Managed small team to deliver site projects on time and within budget.
- Ensured compliance with ATEX requirements by modifying installations to meet recognised standards.
- Developed comprehensive project plans, outlining scopes, timelines, and resources, facilitating smooth execution.
- Facilitated regular team meetings and stakeholder updates, fostering open communication and collaborative problem-solving.
- Coordinated with clients to define project objectives and requirements, ensuring alignment with business goals.
Automation Engineer
Sodexo, working for Unilever Research
Port Sunlight, Bebington
03.2021 - 03.2022
- Provided automation and instrumentation expertise to empower Unilever Research scientists in remotely operating experiments, robots, and production systems.
- Verified equipment via calibration tests, ensuring compliance with ISO 9001 QA system.
- Managed, troubleshot and improved automation programs.
- Analysed workflow processes to identify automation opportunities, streamlining operations and enhancing throughput.
- Monitored and maintained automation equipment, ensuring peak performance and minimising downtime.
Industrial Controls Engineer
Phillips66
Immingham
09.2019 - 06.2020
- Executed systems engineering activities to maintain uninterrupted production of site products.
- Performed maintenance and engineering tasks on Honeywell DCS Systems to ensure operational efficiency.
- Addressed process controls issues within Industrial Controls group at Immingham refinery during major upgrade to controls infrastructure.
- Provided technical support from central control room to refinery operations and project teams during infrastructure upgrades.
- Ensured engineering solutions are technically approved, making recommendations as necessary.
- Compiled and updated monthly Alarm & Control KPI figures for inclusion in management reports.
- Achievements: Support operations teams to maintain site performance.
Process Control & Automation Engineer
Cargill PLC
Manchester
10.2018 - 08.2019
- Executed systems engineering activities ensuring uninterrupted production of site products.
- Created a monitoring tool for process control and performance, enhancing operational insights at the site.
- Collaborated with Process Control & Automation team to resolve software and automation issues at Trafford, Manchester site.
- Foxboro I/A DCS Systems maintenance and engineering activities.
- Ensured engineering solutions are technically approved, making recommendations as necessary.
- Site produces various Starches, Sweeteners & Flavouring for various food producers.
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Manager
HTS Engineering Group
Runcorn
03.2018 - 08.2018
- Developed and implemented Siemens S7 PLC programming for automation projects.
- Oversaw systems engineering activities for multiple contracts, enhancing alignment with client specifications and project timelines.
- Ensured technical approval of engineering solutions, providing recommendations to optimise design and implementation.
- Managed engineering issues within small team at Runcorn works, ensuring efficient resolution and minimal project disruption.
- Achievements: Advised a particular client on the unsuitability of a planned control solution and recommended software configuration improvements to resolve a foreseeable issue.
- HTS Engineering Group are a small engineering group providing small instrumentation systems for various companies.
Engineering Manager
Automation XL Ltd
Runcorn
01.2017 - 03.2018
- Coordinated systems engineering activities for supply of process control packages to clients during absence of engineering manager, maintaining project continuity.
- Ensuring ongoing supply of process control systems support to ENI UK Ltd, primarily at their Point of Ayr gas processing facility and the associated offshore facilities.
- Implemented a new Alarm rationalisation scheme at ENI UK, Point of Ayr operations to the satisfaction of the HSE on the Bailey Infi90 DCS system.
- The alarms in the existing systems were altered to ensure alarms were presented to operators on an alarm priority basis rather than in simple chronologic order.
- Led a small team to manage engineering issues at Runcorn works, ensuring effective resolution of challenges.
- Maintenance of Bailey Infi90 DCS systems; including upgrades and repair of hardware.
- Carried out DCS maintenance back-ups of system & configuration changes under an MoC process.
- Developed proposals that significantly increased business turnover for Runcorn office.
- Standardised corporate presentations for customer offerings.
- Provided a process solution to a chemicals’ client to resolve a long-serving operational problem.
- Contributed to the XL Group, which was founded in the early 1990s by ex-Ferranti engineers and now primarily operates out of Aberdeen.
Senior Power and Control Engineer
Essar Oil UK Ltd, Stanlow Refinery
Ellesmere Port
01.2010 - 01.2017
- Maintained and optimised Foxboro I/A DCS operating system to ensure operational efficiency.
- Delivered controls on Foxboro I/A DCS system which enabled record deliveries to customers, whilst ensuring customer satisfaction ratings were always exceeded.
- Managed technical assurance on electrical/instrumentation issues for oil movements, resolving barriers throughout refinery operations from crude oil import to finished product export.
- Ensured delivery was maintained of refinery products whilst a major project was carried out to upgrade the process computer systems without any interruptions to operations. This was achieved and carried out in a flawless manner.
- Successfully restored national road deliveries of diesel/gasoline; after a Foxboro I/A DCS system failure could have caused a major disruption to UK supplies and an industrial incident (with 100+ tankers already waiting to load their tanks after arriving at site!).
- Oversaw control and instrumentation for loading/unloading of tankers, ships, road cars, and pipelines to facilitate seamless operations.
- Offering specialist technical support to all operating unit employees’ trouble-shooting site-wide technical issues to enable record production & delivery of products from refinery.
- Participated in Foxboro I/A and Honeywell DCS out-of-hours emergency duty rota.
- Carried out configuration changes, maintenance activities, including back-ups to ensure continued availability of all systems.
- Executed changes to plant operations within the site change management system.
- Development and implementation of MoC requirements for all E&I items to ensure continued plant operations.
- Ensuring 100% product availability to customers; implementing systems and strategy to encourage efficiency.
- Achievements: Flexibly handling a diverse, complex and demanding role with finite resources, throughout a period of staff cuts and changes to maintain operations.
- Previous employer: Shell UK
Senior Process Control Consultant / Regional Team Lead
Shell Global Solutions International
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
01.2007 - 10.2009
- Provided technical support for DCS and safeguarding systems to all 18 Shell refineries across the region.
- Provided technical support and approved process control strategies for refineries and LNG production facilities.
- Technical approval of all computer coding programs for implementation in the DCS; including interfaces for APC systems, compressor anti-surge control algorithms etc.
- Development & updating all necessary FDS and SDS technical documentation for successful project delivery.
- Managed technical assurance, leading and supervising technical staff at client sites across Asia-Pacific, ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Planning and assigning team members work, ensuring quality of work meets customer expectations and delivered by agreed dates.
- Approving the team output (technically and commercially) to external clients as well as delivering clear and engaging presentations to clients (Shell Group & 3rd party Companies).
- Ensuring team delivery to Shell International QA standards.
- Managing department and ensuring projects deliver more than agreed financial targets.
- Achievements: Directing a team to routinely achieve chargeability targets (> 80% of time chargeable) whilst other teams struggled.
- Grew team from 2 to 7 during Asian economic crisis while wider team reduced from 18 to 13, strategically promoting team's value and services.
- Standardising services and achieving all benchmarks across the entire Asia-pacific region.
- Oversaw operations in Malaysia.
- Established proposals & contracts for client approval, following corporate training on international contract law.
- Successfully tackled problems and challenges to young group through effective man-management, assigning tasks whilst satisfying customer service expectations.
- Issued success stories to other parts of global organisation for group learning.
- This included the management of the regional Service Desk.
- These systems were provided by Foxboro I/A, Honeywell, Yokogawa and Emerson.
- Awarded role of Base Layer Process Control Team Leader for Asia-Pacific Region, undertaking a three-year secondment.
Process Control Manager for Oil Refinery & Chemical Plants
Shell UK Ltd
07.2002 - 12.2006
- Trusted role as Process Control Manager; a first man-manager role; leading a team of 5 engineers.
- Managed team activities and projects at Stanlow Refinery, aligning efforts with operational goals to optimise performance and achieve site targets.
- Directed and developed team to enhance maintenance of APC applications, ensuring operational reliability and continuous improvement.
- Successful delivery of project to replace old (mainframe computer) APC applications with a modern OPC system communicating with Foxboro and Honeywell I/A DCS Systems (ensuring delivery of additional $20M profit were maintained) for a cost of $250k.
- Created and embedded Process Control Narratives for new DCS Systems, facilitating safe and timely Control Room Centralisation implementation.
- Ensuring all DCS and Safeguarding systems operated reliably.
- Developed and maintained computer coding for successful integration of APC applications to Foxboro I/A DCS systems.
- Maintaining all program coding for successful integration of APC applications with DCS systems.
- Negotiated and communicated with stakeholders to deliver contractual KPIs.
- Achievements: Enhancing the profitability of the site whilst ensuring site targets are delivered.
- Site was primarily covered with Foxboro I/A DCS (~70% Foxboro and ~30% Honeywell).
- Emergency Duty Engineer for out-of-hours cover for Foxboro I/A and Honeywell DCS systems.
Process Control Engineer
Shell UK
10.1998 - 07.2002
- Developed base-layer and APC control schemes, achieving compliance with stringent KPI targets.
- Oversaw operations of aromatics, platforming, lube oils, hydrotreater, and hydro-desulphurising units to ensure optimal performance.
- Enabled Aromatics, Platformer and Lube Oils plants to set new annual production records.
- Executed controls on Foxboro Spectrum and Honeywell DCS systems, integrating legacy pneumatic controls for enhanced system reliability.
- APC applications developed on VAX computer system; requiring coding to enable the applications to interface to the DCS systems.
- Managed operations at Stanlow Refinery
Project Manager / Instrument Project Engineer
Shell UK
02.1992 - 10.1998
- Managed projects on chemicals units utilising Foxboro I/A DCS systems and ABB K90 Process Computer for Resins batch plant, ensuring seamless operation and support.
- Creating specifications, requisitions and contracts for concurrent projects from concept stage, through design, procurement, installation, commissioning to successful final handover; on-time and to budget.
- Participated in out-of-hours emergency call-out rota for Foxboro (I/A and Spectrum) DCS systems, providing critical support to maintain system integrity and minimise downtime.
- Stanlow Refinery
Resins Plant Power & Control Engineer
Shell UK
Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
11.1989 - 02.1992
- Ensured reliability of power, control and instrumentation systems across plant.
- Maintained and operated all field equipment, configured Kent K90 Process Computer, and managed packing line operations and maintenance on Siemens PLC.
- Redesigned and restructured computer systems, contributing to successful commissioning of new plant.
- Stanlow Refinery
Instrument Engineer
Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd
07.1985 - 11.1989
- Rescued Statoil Mongstad, Norway refinery project Analytical Systems ($10 million) to ensure successful delivery of overall project (~$2 billion) by developing automatic calibration check schemes for analysers, maximising operations delivery using Bailey Network90 DCS system.
- Designed and commissioned systems for projects.
- Executed project plans in Reading, Berkshire.
Product Specialist
BBC Kent Industrial Measurements
01.1984 - 07.1985
- Managed test-driven development of new products before launch.
- Created sales literature showcasing successful applications of company products, aiding in client engagement and sales efforts.
- Provided technical support to clients on water treatment and power generation analysers, enhancing client understanding and product utilisation.
- Chertsey, Surrey
Education
Project Management Principles Diploma -
University of Manchester
Stanlow Refinery Cheshire Site Course01-1995
Process Control Systems & Instrumentation Systems - Process Control & Instrumentation systems
The University of Huddersfield
Huddersfield, KIR01-1986
BSc (Honours) (2:1) - Chemical Engineering
Aston University
01-1983
Skills
- Project Control
- Project Planning
- Consulting
- LEAN Continuous Improvement
- Contract Management
- Project Engineering
- Procurement
- APC Applications
- Base Layer Process Control
- Change and Risk Management
- Contract Negotiation
- Stakeholder Management
- Field Instrumentation
- DCS System Configuration
- ISO 9001 QA Lead Assessor
- Safeguarding System Logic Design
- Compliance and Analysis
- Process Control stability
- Dynamics & Optimisation
- HAZOP/HAZID Assessments
- COMAH Assessments
- SIL Classification assessments
Languages
English
Proficient
C2
Accomplishments
- Expertise recognised with a three-year Base Layer Process Control Team Leader secondment for Asia-Pacific Region for Shell Global Solutions International.
- Delivered training courses to maintenance staff on robust and quantifiable process control methodology.
- Maintained delivery in excess of $20Million/year benefits to Stanlow Refinery through redesign of APC systems.
- Delivered operational excellence, enabling site to out-perform other sites, whilst upgrading safeguarding systems.
- 20+ years of experience of out-of-hours emergency cover for DCS and safeguarding systems on site.
- Ensured delivery of projects safely, on-time and within agreed budgets through compliance with corporate procedures.
- Configuration and DCS programming knowledge through maintenance and upgrading of working plants.
Custom
Associate Member of Institution of Chemical Engineers
Certification
- BSc Honours 2:1 Chemical Engineering ; Aston University
- Certified ISO9001 QA Lead Assessor ; BSI
- Project Management in the Process Industries ; University of Manchester
Timeline
Electrical, Controls and Instrumentation Engineer
Haden Freeman Ltd
11.2025 - 01.2026
Process Controls Engineer
Evonik Chemicals Ltd
03.2025 - 11.2025
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Manager/Engineer
Brydon Wood
12.2024 - 01.2025
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Manager/Engineer
CIE Solutions
09.2024 - 12.2024
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Engineer
BakerHicks
07.2024 - 08.2024
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Project Engineer
Innospec Inc
10.2023 - 07.2024
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Design Manager
James Fisher & Sons Ltd / James Fisher Nuclear Ltd
03.2023 - 08.2023
Projects Manager
M&I Materials Ltd
03.2022 - 11.2022
Automation Engineer
Sodexo, working for Unilever Research
03.2021 - 03.2022
Industrial Controls Engineer
Phillips66
09.2019 - 06.2020
Process Control & Automation Engineer
Cargill PLC
10.2018 - 08.2019
Electrical, Controls & Instrumentation Manager
HTS Engineering Group
03.2018 - 08.2018
Managing Director / Consultant
Universal Engineering Designs Ltd
06.2017 - Current
Engineering Manager
Automation XL Ltd
01.2017 - 03.2018
Senior Power and Control Engineer
Essar Oil UK Ltd, Stanlow Refinery
01.2010 - 01.2017
Senior Process Control Consultant / Regional Team Lead
Shell Global Solutions International
01.2007 - 10.2009
Process Control Manager for Oil Refinery & Chemical Plants
Shell UK Ltd
07.2002 - 12.2006
Process Control Engineer
Shell UK
10.1998 - 07.2002
Project Manager / Instrument Project Engineer
Shell UK
02.1992 - 10.1998
Resins Plant Power & Control Engineer
Shell UK
11.1989 - 02.1992
Instrument Engineer
Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd
07.1985 - 11.1989
Product Specialist
BBC Kent Industrial Measurements
01.1984 - 07.1985
Project Management Principles Diploma -
University of Manchester
Process Control Systems & Instrumentation Systems - Process Control & Instrumentation systems
The University of Huddersfield
BSc (Honours) (2:1) - Chemical Engineering
Aston University