How to Become an ISO Lead Auditor in Nigeria

An ISO Lead Auditor plans, leads and reports audits of a management system against an ISO standard. In Nigeria the qualification opens roles in quality, HSE and compliance teams, with certification bodies and as an independent consultant. This guide explains the route from beginner to certified lead auditor.

What does an ISO Lead Auditor do?

A lead auditor is responsible for the whole audit: agreeing the scope, building the audit plan, leading the audit team, collecting objective evidence, grading findings and presenting the audit report. The method follows ISO 19011, the international guideline for auditing management systems, whichever standard is being audited.

Step 1: choose the standard that fits your industry

Pick the standard your employer or target clients use. The skills transfer between standards, so many auditors start with one and add a second later.

• ISO 9001 (quality): suits any organisation, and the most requested standard in supplier prequalification.
• ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety): suits oil and gas, construction, manufacturing and any site with high risk work.
• ISO 14001 (environment): suits manufacturing, oil and gas and companies reporting on environmental performance.
• ISO/IEC 27001 (information security): suits banks, fintechs, telecoms and any business holding customer data.
• ISO 22000 (food safety): suits food and beverage manufacturers, processors and caterers.
• ISO 50001 (energy): suits energy intensive plants, utilities and large facilities.
• ISO 41001 (facility management): suits facility management companies and estate operators.

Step 2: complete an accredited Lead Auditor course

A recognised Lead Auditor course runs for five days, roughly 40 hours, and ends with an assessment. Look for training that is accredited by an international body. Our ISO Lead Auditor courses are Exemplar Global accredited training and cost ₦350,000 per participant. They cover the standard clause by clause, audit planning, interviewing, evidence gathering, nonconformity grading and reporting, and finish with a simulated audit.

Step 3: build real audit experience

The course certificate shows you have the knowledge. Employers and certification bodies also want to see audits you have taken part in. Start with internal audits in your own organisation, join supplier audits, or work with a certification body as an auditor in training. Keep a log of every audit: the date, the organisation, the standard, the days spent and your role.

Step 4: apply for personal auditor certification

Personal certification schemes, such as those run by Exemplar Global and by CQI and IRCA, grade auditors by level. Moving up to lead auditor grade normally needs the course certificate plus a set number of logged audit days, some of them as audit team leader. Check the current requirements of the scheme you choose before you apply, because they change from time to time.

Lead Auditor or Internal Auditor?

An internal auditor audits their own organisation and usually takes a shorter course. A lead auditor is trained to lead audits of other organisations, including second party supplier audits and third party certification audits. If you want to work for a certification body, consult, or lead audit teams, choose the Lead Auditor course.

How long does it take?

The course itself takes five days. Building enough logged audit experience for lead auditor grade typically takes several months to a couple of years, depending on how often you audit.

Where to train

We run every ISO Lead Auditor course in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja, and live online for learners across Africa. See all dates and fees on the ISO courses page or compare every course on the course fees page.