Requirements to become an ISO 9001 Lead Auditor

[ThatGuy1]

I am a senior level Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering student at a large state school and taking an ISO 9000 auditing class as an elective. After learning what this is about I am very interested in becoming an auditor after I graduate. So after I finish the rest of my training courses and take my exams, I am good to go to be an observer

1) How hard is it to get jobs with auditors when being an observer

2) Do I need any work experience inside a manufacturing company or would I be qualified enough with an engineering degree + 20 audits as an observer to become lead auditor?

3) How hard is it to get jobs once you are a new lead auditor?


My main concern is the work experience, as its very hard to get a job where I'm at so I would love to jump into this with little to no work experience and get my experience in auditing rather then working full time as an engineer in a company.

I appreciate any advice

 

[ssz102]

the condition for become to a auditor leader:
suficient work experience for certain industry or field at least 5 years such as food, medical, electronic and so on
the second is audit experience, at least 3years

 

[Jen Kirley]

Welcome to the Cove!

While qualification requirements vary from employer to employer, I think ssz102 is correct. I've been auditing for some while, first as an internal auditor and now as a CB auditor, and in both cases I was qualified in part through many years of industry experience.

I am pleased that you are interested in auditing though. I encourage you to volunteer for internal auditing at your employer. Most organizations use teams of willing process people to do internal audits on an assignment basis.

 

[ThatGuy1]

Welcome to the Cove!

While qualification requirements vary from employer to employer, I think ssz102 is correct. I've been auditing for some while, first as an internal auditor and now as a CB auditor, and in both cases I was qualified in part through many years of industry experience.

I am pleased that you are interested in auditing though. I encourage you to volunteer for internal auditing at your employer. Most organizations use teams of willing process people to do internal audits on an assignment basis.

Thanks for the reply

That's what I was worried about was having experience to get this job. I am about to graduate and I have little work experience (almost a year as an intern) and don't want to go work in the industry for 5 years then become an auditor. I would rather be an auditor (observer) right out of college and get my experience that way instead of working in the industry for 5 years. It's tough to find a job especially with little experience

 

[Jen Kirley]

Well, it's true the job market is very tight right now but there are more jobs available in general industry - especially engineering - than there are for ISO 9001 auditors. It is a specialized field. Some of us expand by qualifying for environmental and/automotive auditing too. But AIAG requires (among other things) 6 years of working in the automotive industry to qualify for auditing.

Hardly any quality assurance people join the industry right out of school. Most of us get transferred into QA. I started working in QA in around 1990 while serving onboard ship (USN) as a journeyman sheet metal mechanic.

 

[AndyN]

the condition for become to a auditor leader:
suficient work experience for certain industry or field at least 5 years such as food, medical, electronic and so on
the second is audit experience, at least 3years

I think rather than suggest this, it's better to refer the person to the IRCA or RABQSA websites and show them the actual qualification requirements...

 

[AndyN]

Thanks for the reply

That's what I was worried about was having experience to get this job. I am about to graduate and I have little work experience (almost a year as an intern) and don't want to go work in the industry for 5 years then become an auditor. I would rather be an auditor (observer) right out of college and get my experience that way instead of working in the industry for 5 years. It's tough to find a job especially with little experience

You might find a position as an internal auditor, but, frankly, the ISO 9001 world for Certification Body auditors is flooded, unless you have a very specific industry background.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

I would rather be an auditor (observer) right out of college and get my experience that way instead of working in the industry for 5 years. It's tough to find a job especially with little experience

Even though you don't have to be certified as a lead auditor with an Auditor Authentication Body, it is very unlikely that a CB would hire someone with no work experience. If you look at the RABQSA application criteria for QMS auditors, you will see that, depending on the grade, you would have to demonstrate at least two years quality assurance work experience in the previous four years AND a minimum of four to eight years work experience, depending on formal qualification.

In order for auditors to be effective, they HAVE to understand how the different BUSINESS PROCESS interact and affect the quality system. I believe that the work experience requirement is meant to "ensure" that auditors have this understanding of how business operates, so they can audit processes and systems with a proper perspective.

Good luck.

 

[Randy]

No disrespect intended, but folks that hold only ISO 9001 as an auditor credential are not in demand.

A person needs a good deal or real world, real work experience and multiple auditor credentials