Corporate Auditor
The Corporate Auditor grade is IRCA’s contribution to industry’s need for auditors able to demonstrate exceptionally high levels of audit competence.
High value industry benefits
The key function of the Corporate Auditor is to provide value to those organizations that rely significantly on accredited certification as a means of establishing that their management system is optimally configured to deliver their business and corporate objectives. The Corporate Auditor’s value is demonstrated through their ability to interact with top management, and in identifying management system problems and risks that may prevent the organization from meeting its business objectives and in identifying opportunities for improvement.
Career progression for auditing professionals
The Corporate Auditor programme is intended to complement, not replace, the qualification based programmes by providing a premium certification grade positioned above the other grades. The programme is intended for the very best. It is very demanding and evidence to date indicates less than 10% of those currently on the IRCA register are likely to pass the evaluation. Because the evaluation involves a high level of interaction with examiners it costs more, but industry has made it clear it is willing to pay extra for excellence.
Competence based
The Corporate Auditor grade differs fundamentally from the Principal, Lead and other grades in that it is ‘competence based’ and complies with ISO 17024. This means that to be certified to the Corporate Auditor grade, auditors must demonstrate they are able to apply the skills knowledge and personal attributes at a one-day Assessment Centre which employs a combination of examination methods.
- An occupational personality questionnaire
- A written in-tray task
- A collaborative group task
- A competence-based interview
High value employer benefits
Employers of Corporate Auditors can now demonstrate to key, high-complexity or high-value clients that they have auditors of the best caliber demonstrated though an ISO 17024 compliant and independent third party certification.
In addition, employers spend a large amount of time and resource recruiting and monitoring auditors. The IRCA Assessment Centre and certification process provides a cost effective method of assessing competence, useful data about individual and group competence, and allows access to a professional assessment centre with all the materials and qualified examiners, without the development costs: a ready made HR tool.
A Generic certification
There is one grade only in this programme; the Corporate Auditor. The Corporate Auditor programme has as its core the demonstration of generic auditing skills. It is not restricted to any one management system context (QMS, EMS, OHSMS, etc). Instead it focuses on the generic knowledge, skills and attributes defined in ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines on Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing. The Corporate Auditor programme is based on the following standards:
- ISO/IEC 19011:2002, Guidelines on Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing
- ISO/IEC 17024:2003, General Requirements for Bodies Operating the Certification of Persons
- IPC BD-05-007, Specification for the Development of Certification Schemes for the Certification of QMS and EMS Auditors