ISO 9001
Lead Auditor course
CQI and IRCA certified training for people who need to plan, lead and report Quality Management System audits.
A Lead Auditor course is a serious investment. You are not just looking for a certificate - auditors need to come back able to understand ISO 9001 better, ask better audit questions, gather sound evidence and lead audits with confidence.
Trusted since 1989
We've trained thousands of ISO auditors and quality professionals worldwide.
Centre of Excellence
Awarded Centre of Excellence status by the Institute of Quality Assurance (CQI) in 1993.
Auditors who teach
Our tutors are working auditors who understand audits on both sides of the table.
Plain English delivery
We make ISO 9001 clear, useful and less intimidating with a plain English approach.
Is an ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course right for you?
This CQI and IRCA certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is for people who already have a working knowledge of ISO 9001 and now need to apply it in an advanced audit context.
It is not a beginner’s course for learning ISO 9001 from scratch. If you are new to the standard, our foundation level ISO 9001 Requirements Awareness course is the better starting point. Lead Auditor training goes further: it helps learners see the clauses through an auditor’s eyes, understand what good evidence looks like, ask better questions, and lead Quality Management System audits with confidence.
For HR, Training and QHSE Managers, it is a strong choice when you need recognised auditor competence in your team, stronger supplier audit capability, or more confidence ahead of customer, external or certification audits.
For private individuals, it can be a valuable step if you are looking to develop your QMS auditing skills, strengthen your CV, or move towards quality, compliance, supplier assurance, consultancy or certification body auditing roles.
*We've partnered with the CQI and IRCA for 35 years to deliver this course worldwide, and our course licence number is A18054. Our 98% exam pass rate is based on SQMC ISO 9001 Lead Auditor exam results over the acedmic year 01/08/2025 - 31/07/2026, including resits.
Next three courses
There's still time to join one of our forthcoming open-to-public courses:
- 5-9 October, 2026 (Glasgow)
- 26-30 October, 2026 (Online)
- 16-20 November, 2026 (Dunfermline)
"Excellent course, with an expert in ISO that's a credit to SQMC and IRCA. A pleasure, and would recommend to any prospective auditor!"
Guidance for HR, Training & QHSE Managers
Choose this course when you need a recognised ISO 9001 Lead Auditor qualification for a team member, stronger audit capability across your organisation, or more confidence ahead of supplier, customer or certification audits.
Learners return with a clearer understanding of how ISO 9001 applies to your own business processes and at your suppliers, better audit questioning skills and a more structured approach to planning, carrying out and reporting audits.
Guidance for individuals, career-changers
This course is a strong step towards QMS auditing as a profession in itself, supplier assurance, consultancy, compliance or certification body work — but it is not the easiest place to start.
The ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is advanced level training, and delegates are expected to arrive with adequate prior knowledge of ISO 9001 and some understanding of management systems auditing. If you aren't sure you're ready for Lead Auditor training, speak to us first. We’ll give you honest advice on the right next step, or whether a shorter foundation or internal auditor course would give you a better start.
Choose how to attend your ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training
SQMC offers ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in several formats, so you can choose the route that best fits your location, schedule and team needs.
Face-to-face Lead Auditor training for learners who prefer classroom tuition and a traditional group dynamic.
Ideal for delegates travelling from Fife, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Perth and the wider central belt. Click here for details on our Dunfermline and Glasgow Lead Auditor courses.
Classroom-based Lead Auditor training for organisations and individuals in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the north-east of Scotland.
A practical option for learners who want face-to-face training, rather than our online option. Click here to find out more about our Lead Auditor courses in Aberdeen.
Tutor-led ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training through SQMC’s Virtual Classroom.
You still get live interaction, tutor support, group exercises and audit practice — without the travel, accommodation costs or time away from home. Click here to find out more about this popular option for distance learning.
When several people in your team need the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor qualification, consider private training delivered online or in-person at your site, worldwide. It's ideal if you want the content related more closely to your organisation's processes. Click here to begin the conversation with one of our friendly training advisers!
A two-minute taste of Lead Auditor thinking
The full ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is five days of tutor-led training, practical exercises, audit scenarios and exam preparation. But these eight quick cards give you a flavour of the way we teach.
Flip each card for a practical audit tip you can use straight away — and a glimpse of the thinking we develop more fully during the course.
Don’t start by asking, “Which clause does this match?” Start with the process. What is meant to happen, what could go wrong, and what evidence would show it is working?
A good Lead Auditor does not need to dominate the room. They keep the audit focused, fair and moving — especially when time is tight or evidence is unclear.
A weak audit plan follows clause numbers. A stronger audit plan follows the process: inputs, activities, risks, controls, outputs and evidence.
Instead of asking, “Do you check this?” try, “Can you show me how you know this is working?” Better questions lead to better evidence.
Evidence is not just a confident answer. Look for records, observation, interviews and consistency across the process before reaching a conclusion.
A useful finding says what happened, what evidence supports it, and why it matters. Vague findings create arguments. Clear findings create action.
CQI, IRCA, UKAS and certification bodies all play different roles. Understanding how they fit together helps you see where your Lead Auditor qualification sits professionally.
Don’t let the exam portal become an extra source of stress. We show you how the CQI and IRCA online exam process works, so you know what to expect after the course.
A serious qualification, taught by auditors
An ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is a serious investment. Cheap certificates can look tempting, but large course providers can feel impersonal, and when someone is asked to lead their first audit, they need more than a slide deck and a PDF.
SQMC courses are delivered by auditors who teach — experienced QMS professionals who understand ISO 9001, certification audits, internal audits and supplier audits from both sides of the table.
Our approach is practical, supportive and plain English. We help learners understand what the standard actually means, what good evidence looks like, and how to audit in a way that is fair, structured and useful.
This is not training for the sake of passing an exam. It is training for people who need to go back to work and use their ISO 9001 Lead Auditor skills with confidence. That combination of serious content, experienced tutors and careful exam preparation has helped SQMC delegates achieve a 98% ISO 9001 Lead Auditor exam pass rate* overall, in the final CQI and IRCA governed exam.
"I’m hoping that Andrew still has his 100% success pass rate! He really was an excellent tutor and my knowledge of ISO 9000/9001/19011 has boosted my confidence no end! My thought process has completely changed when doing audits and my audit reporting is much better as I keep thinking 'when conducting an audit, where is the viable evidence? Show me!' And not to just take the auditee's word for it. My vocabulary has also improved."
Glasgow
£1,799 + VAT
Classroom-based ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in an easy-to-access venue in South West Greater Glasgow.
- 5 - 9 October 2026
- 2027 schedule coming soon
Dunfermline
£1,799 + VAT
Classroom-based ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training at our East of Scotland centre.
- 16 - 20 November 2026
- 18 - 22 January 2027
- 15 - 19 March 2027
- 14 - 18 June 2027
- 13 - 17 September 2027
- 13 - 17 December 2027
Aberdeen
£1,799 + VAT
Classroom-based ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in Aberdeen.
- 14 - 18 September 2026
- 7 - 11 December 2026
- 19 - 23 April 2027
- 8 - 12 November 2027
Online
£1,799 + VAT
Tutor-led ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course online through SQMC’s Virtual Classroom*.
- 26 - 28 October 2026
- 17 - 21 May 2027
- 4 - 8 October 2027
*Custom developed, CQI & IRCA approved Virtual, Instructor-Led Training (VILT) for desktop learners.
What's included in the course fee?
Your ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course fee includes the training, materials, examination and support needed to complete the course properly.
- Licensed copy of ISO 9001 to keep and use during your exam (worth £263)
- Your CQI and IRCA exam fees are covered by SQMC
- SQMC course materials
- Coaching from an experienced QMS auditor
- Practical audit exercises and tutor feedback
- Certificate on successful completion
- Lunch and refreshments on classroom courses
- Post-course support from the SQMC team
"I would like to extend my thanks to Lynn, Kenny & all the SQMC team, along with Bob, who tutored my foundation class and obviously the Lead Auditor, and thought he was brilliant - as I am sure all the others who attended did. Here's to the first step on my auditing, IRCA & CQI journey!"
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Frequently asked questions about ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training
Is this course suitable if I am new to ISO 9001?
Not usually. This ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is advanced training, so delegates are expected to arrive with a working knowledge of ISO 9001 before the course begins.
It is not designed to teach ISO 9001 from scratch. If you are new to the standard, our ISO 9001 Requirements Awareness course is the better starting point. If you already have quality, compliance or audit experience and are not sure whether you are ready, speak to us first and we’ll give you honest advice.
Should I take ISO 9001 Foundation or Internal Auditor before Lead Auditor?
The ideal route is usually ISO 9001 Foundation (Requirements Awareness), then ISO 9001 Internal Auditor, then ISO 9001 Lead Auditor.
That gives you time to understand the standard, practise internal auditing, and then move on to leading audits properly. That said, not everyone has the time or budget to follow the perfect route. If you already have relevant quality, compliance, supplier assurance or auditing experience, you may still be able to go straight to Lead Auditor level — but it will be a demanding week.
What is the difference between ISO 9001 Internal Auditor and Lead Auditor training?
ISO 9001 Internal Auditor training is usually best for people who need to carry out audits within their own organisation.
ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training goes further. It covers planning audits, leading audit activity, managing audit situations, reporting findings and understanding the wider professional audit process. It is the better choice if you need a recognised auditor qualification, want to audit suppliers, support certification activity, or develop your career in QMS auditing.
Is the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course CQI and IRCA certified?
Yes. SQMC’s ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is CQI and IRCA certified, and our course licence number is A18054.
That matters for this course because many delegates are using it to support more advanced auditing goals — such as supplier auditing, consultancy, freelance auditing, certification-body work, or personal auditor registration with CQI and IRCA.
It also gives added confidence because the course, assessment process and formal examination arrangements are independently accredited. At this level, where the qualification may form part of someone’s professional auditing credentials, that third-party oversight is valuable.
That does not mean every useful ISO or QHSE course needs CQI and IRCA certification. Many awareness or foundation and internal training courses are valuable because they help people understand standards and improve how systems work. But for ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training, CQI and IRCA certification is often important because of what learners may want to do with the qualification afterwards.
Is the CQI and IRCA exam included in the course fee?
Yes. Your SQMC course fee covers the CQI and IRCA exam fee.
We also cover the exam fee if another attempt is needed. We don’t make a big song and dance about that, because our focus is on preparing delegates to pass first time — but it is there as reassurance.
Your fee also includes SQMC course materials, practical audit exercises, tutor support and a licensed copy of ISO 9001 to keep and use during your exam.
What is SQMC’s ISO 9001 Lead Auditor exam pass rate?
SQMC’s overall ISO 9001 Lead Auditor exam pass rate is 98%, based on IRCA exam results for SQMC delegates from 01/08/2025 to 31/07/2026. The course is demanding, but our tutors prepare delegates carefully through practical exercises, exam guidance and support with the CQI and IRCA online exam process.
Can I attend the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course online?
Yes. SQMC offers a live online ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course through our Virtual Classroom.
This is not a pre-recorded course. It is live, tutor-led training with discussion, group exercises, audit practice and support from an experienced auditor. It is a good option if you want the full course experience without travel, accommodation or time away from home.
Can this course help me become a certification body auditor?
Yes, this course can support your route towards certification body auditing, supplier auditing, consultancy or quality management roles.
A CQI and IRCA certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is a recognised step for people developing professional QMS auditing competence. Certification bodies and employers may also have their own requirements for audit experience, witnessed audits or sector knowledge, so the course is best seen as an important part of the journey rather than the whole journey by itself.
Do you offer ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in Scotland?
Yes. SQMC offers ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in Scotland, with classroom options including Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Glasgow.
We also offer live online training and in-company delivery, so you can choose the route that best fits your location, schedule and team needs.
Can my employer pay by invoice?
Yes. Employers can usually pay by invoice for SQMC training.
If you are booking on behalf of your organisation, you can use the booking form or speak to our team and we’ll help with the practical details. We regularly work with HR, Training, Quality and QHSE teams who are arranging training for staff.
Do you offer payment plans for self-funders?
Yes. Interest-free payment plans are available for self-funders.
We know the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course is a serious investment, especially if you are paying for it yourself to develop your career. Call us on 0333 939 0045 and we’ll talk you through the available options.
Can you deliver this ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course in-company?
Yes. SQMC can deliver ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training in-company for teams.
This can be delivered at your site or online, depending on what works best for your organisation. In-company training is often a good option when several people need the qualification, or when you want examples and discussion to be more closely related to your own processes, suppliers or audit programme.
How do I book a place on the ISO 9001 Lead Auditor course?
Choose your preferred location or online course date, then click Book a place. (You'll also have the option to book multiple places).
If you are not sure which route is right, call 0333 939 0045 or use the course advice option. We’ll help you choose the right course without jargon, hard sell or guesswork.
"Good course. I learned a whole new profession."
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