About
I'm Dean Didion. IT manager, AI instructor, and developer based in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. I run SureStride as a freelance consulting practice alongside a role as CTO at Public Value Hub, where I lead AI governance and ethics initiatives.
My background spans engineering management, infrastructure, and applied AI. At Payoneer I led cross-functional engineering teams across Germany, the UK, and Israel. At Masterschool I mentor the AI track — curriculum design, technical coaching, and career guidance for career-changers. More on that on the Masterschool page.
I work best with small to mid-size teams that need a senior generalist: someone who can own a problem from architecture through to deployment without needing a committee.
Selected work
- CTO, Public Value Hub — AI governance and ethics strategy; responsible AI education programmes (2025–present)
- Sr. Engineering Manager, Payoneer — Greenfield Checkout launch, OKR programme adopted across DE/UK/IL, Agile transformation across three cross-functional teams (2021–2023)
- AI Mentor, Masterschool Institute of Technology — AI track mentoring: technical skills, project development, career growth (2024–present)
- Mentor — I mentor developers and career-changers outside any formal programme. Covering code reviews, career direction, interview prep — whatever's useful. Always free.
- IT Modernisation — Infrastructure overhaul for a multi-site healthcare practice group: legacy migration, Docker deployment, process automation
- AI-powered applications — Mental health support chatbot (LangGraph/FastAPI), WhatsApp companion for seniors (Flask/AI) — open source on GitHub
Education & certifications
- M.Sc. Applied AI — International University (in progress, 2025)
- Software Engineering (AI & Backend) — Masterschool (2024–2025)
- B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering — Leeds University UK
- PMI Project Management · Six Sigma Black Belt
- IBM AI Developer · IBM Data Scientist · IBM Generative AI for Educators
Languages
English (native) · German (native) · Esperanto (B2)
Outside work
Cycling — the n+1 is real: Canyon eBike, Canyon Grail CF 8 (gravel), Canyon Endurace CF 8 Di2 (road), Specialized Allez (road), Poison mountain bike, and a commuter for the daily grind. Long climbs, occasional writing about the suffering.
Volunteer Python and English instructor at a local secondary school.
SureStride
- Inhaber: Dean Didion
- Freiberufler §18 EStG · Kleinunternehmer §19 UStG
- Winkel 8, 06268 Oechlitz, Deutschland
- [email protected]