ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course

A Lead Auditor is a person responsible for checking whether an organisation is following important business management standards, such as ISO 9001. Their job is to examine how the organisation operates, identify areas where their processes might be falling short, with the end goal that their managers and staff improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, save money, and raise profit.

For example, if a food manufacturer wants to prove that its production processes meet international quality standards, a Lead Auditor might review how ingredients are sourced, stored, and checked for safety. In a hospital, they might assess whether admin procedures meet ISO 9001 standards to ensure consistent, higher-quality patient care and treatment. Likewise, a construction firm seeking ISO 9001 certification would be audited by a Lead Auditor to verify that materials, safety checks, and project management processes meet best practices.

Unlike an Internal Auditor, who works within an organisationy and reports to its own management, a Lead Auditor is qualified to audit external suppliers. Moreover, they may operate independently - perhaps working for a certification body or as a consultant. 

You can consider a Lead Auditor a senior role: he or she is competent to take charge of the entire audit process, ensuring assessments are thorough, fair, and aligned with ISO requirements. At the end, they provide an official audit report with findings and recommendations for improvement.

Yes—but it depends on the scale of the audit:

• Larger audits (e.g. a national retailer’s quality management system review) often require a team of auditors. The Lead Auditor assigns tasks, ensures consistency across different sites, and makes the final judgment on conformance. For instance, if a chain of hotels is being audited for ISO 9001, the Lead Auditor might oversee a team checking multiple locations to ensure guest services and housekeeping standards are consistent.
• Smaller audits (e.g. a local manufacturer’s ISO 9001 assessment) may be handled alone by the Lead Auditor. A printing company, for example, might need a solo audit to ensure its quality control checks on paper stock, ink consistency, and final product meet customer expectations.

Yes! The title Lead Auditor remains widely recognised, particularly in ISO certification, quality management, and compliance circles. However, in some larger organisations, the term Principal Auditor is used instead. Regardless of the title, the responsibilities remain the same: ensuring businesses meet ISO standards and continuously improve their business processes.

The terms Lead Auditor and Principal Auditor are sometimes used interchangeably, but they aren’t exactly the same role. 

A Principal Auditor typically operates at a higher level, overseeing multiple Lead Auditors and complex audit programmes. They are more experienced and may be involved in policy development, strategic decision-making, and high-risk audits.

A Principle Auditor's typical responsibilities are:

• Overseeing multiple Lead Auditors and audits across different locations or industries.
• Handling high-risk or sensitive audits, such as government or aerospace certifications.
• Developing audit policies and best practices.
• Providing advanced technical expertise in audits.
• Mentoring Lead Auditors.

For example,  Principal Auditor in a large multinational corporation might oversee ISO 9001 audits across multiple factories worldwide, ensuring consistency in quality across all locations.

If you’re still relatively new to auditing, "Lead Auditor" is the natural step after Internal Auditor. However, over time, with more experience, you could progress to Principal Auditor, which typically involves greater leadership and strategic responsibilities.

Interestingly, many Principal Auditors don’t actually conduct audits anymore. Instead, they often transition into leadership roles, focusing on audit strategy, policy development, training, and consultancy. With their wealth of experience, they guide Lead Auditors and audit teams, ensuring best practices are followed across multiple sites or industries. So, while they may still oversee high-risk or complex audits, their day-to-day work is more about shaping the future of auditing rather than carrying out individual assessments.

To become a qualified Lead Auditor, you typically need to complete a recognised training course, such as the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course by SQMC, which is accredited globally by the CQI and IRCA. This training equips you with the essential skills to plan, conduct, and manage audits, setting you up for a career in quality management and ISO 9001 certification auditing.

When you invest a week away from work, you need confidence that your time will be wisely spent. An increasing number of the UK's largest organisations are switching to SQMC for ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training, because they realise the value of our industry-leading first-time pass rates*.

However, it's not simply about passing your exam - our intention is to coach you toward auditing excellence. We begin by matching the content to your own learning style, preferences and pace, and developing your understanding of the subject, layer by layer.

An SQMC course provides you with the optimum platform to learn the real-world duties of a QMS Lead Auditor, and about the ISO 9001 Certification process, in a fun, informal atmosphere. 

You'll return to work with an improved comprehension of ISO 9001's functionality, as well as that of other key, associated Standards (such as ISO 17,021 and ISO 19,011). Plus, you'll better appreciate business processes, and know how best to 'map' them out, logically.

Moreover, you'll learn all of this within a safe environment, where you can feel comfortable trying out supplier auditing protocols and techniques for yourself, under the encouraging mentoring of your experienced and supportive tutor.

*SQMC first-time pass rates have been consistently higher than IRCA's worldwide average, according to their annually published statistics.

Here's a brief rundown of a dozen elements you'll glean from our series of lively, interactive discussions, practical audit scenarios, and team exercises:

1. The purpose and business benefits of a Quality Management System (QMS).
2. How the "Plan - Do - Check - Act" (PDCA) cycle has influenced ISO 9001.
3. A review of the principles and concepts of "Quality".
4. A critical evaluation of the "Seven Quality Management Principles" – as explained and expounded by your own Quality "guru" for the week (all of our approved Tutors are hand-picked, SQMC-trained, Chartered Quality Professionals; and are genuine experts in the field).
5. Getting to grips with Documentation and Interpretation.
6. Understand the principles, methodology, preparationand performance of a Quality Audit, to ISO 19,011; including theefficient use of Checklists.
7. The key to selecting the Audit sample,and the subsequent preparation of the ideal questions – get this right and you'll perform Process Audits with increased confidence.
8. How to prepare the findings and statements of a nonconformity.
9. Master the art of Audit Reporting.
10. A look at Corrective & Preventive Action, the follow-up process, and then surveillance.
11. A discussion of the duties of an Auditor and a Lead Auditor, with a seasoned pro.
12. The role of government in validating certification bodies, and the requirements of the Registration Scheme in the UK operated by the Chartered Quality Institute's "International Register of Certificated Auditors" (CQI / IRCA).

Achieving the status of an 'ISO 9001 Lead Auditor' through our course will fully qualify you to carry out external audits anywhere in the world.

In practical terms, you'll help your employer ensure its suppliers meets the standards it set for its own customers. You can become an integral part of the process of assuring your organisation meets its objectives, better realising its statements of intent. You can also add value to your organisation's internal operations – after all, in which area of your operations would you not want quality?!

Furthermore, as an IRCA-Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, you'll be on a level playing field as the '3rd Party' auditors that visit from your company's Certification Body. Or perhaps you'll go on to become a Certification Auditor, yourself - since you'll now possess the qualification most government-accredited Certification Bodies require for the job.

Lastly, from a personal perspective, when you have a few audits under your belt, you can acquire 'IRCA-Registered' status as a professional auditor, with the Chartered Quality Institute. 

• Personal copies of ISO 9000, ISO 9001 and ISO 19,011, fully licensed for you to keep.
• An extensive SQMC reference manual, and workbook.
• Coaching from a highly experienced, Chartered Quality Professional.
• Your CQI / IRCA exam fee.
• A globally-recognised certificate.
• Refreshments and delicious, sit-down lunches, served in our venue restaurants.
• SQMC's highly-acclaimed after care.