Bureau Veritas — one of the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification organizations — is seeking a technically expert, impartial, and professionally committed Lead Auditor to join its Certification Department in Abu Dhabi, UAE. With a minimum of 5 years of food industry experience and qualifications in ISO 22000, FSSC22000, and HACCP, this is a genuinely prestigious and career-defining permanent full-time opportunity to conduct third-party food safety certification audits, manage client relationships, and contribute to the highest standards of food safety certification excellence in the UAE’s active and regulated food industry.
About This Role — Lead Auditor at Bureau Veritas Certification UAE
Company: Bureau Veritas — a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services with a worldwide presence spanning 140+ countries and deep expertise across food safety, quality, environment, and health and safety certification
Department: Certification Department — reporting to the Food Scheme Lead UAE and Certification Manager UAE
Audit Scope: Third-party and second-party food safety audits — planning, conducting, executing, and reporting the complete certification audit cycle in line with ISO standards and accreditation requirements
Standards Covered: HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC22000 V6/V7 (required) — BRCGS Food V9, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 preferred
Language: Fluency in English required; Arabic knowledge is a significant added advantage for UAE client communications
Why Bureau Veritas Abu Dhabi — A Certification Audit Career at the World’s TIC Leader
Global Brand Prestige: Bureau Veritas is one of the world’s most recognized and respected TIC organizations — Lead Auditor experience at Bureau Veritas UAE builds one of the most internationally recognized certification audit credentials in the global food safety profession
Technical Depth: ISO 22000, FSSC22000, HACCP, and BRCGS audit expertise developed within Bureau Veritas’ structured, accreditation-compliant framework creates highly transferable and globally respected food safety certification skills
UAE Market: Abu Dhabi’s food industry is one of the Gulf’s most regulated and active — creating sustained, high-quality demand for experienced Lead Auditors with strong food safety certification expertise
Career Growth: Bureau Veritas’s global structure and certification hierarchy provides genuine career advancement pathways from Lead Auditor through Senior Lead Auditor and beyond
Position Overview
The Lead Auditor at Bureau Veritas Certification UAE will plan, conduct, lead, and report third-party and second-party food safety certification audits in accordance with ISO standards, ISO 17021, ISO 22003:2022, and applicable accreditation requirements. You will perform all certification audit activities — including audit execution, reporting, and submission for review and certification decisions — while coordinating client communications before, during, and after audits, maintaining impartiality and independence at all times, managing technical queries and NCR management, and supporting certification, compliance, and operational projects as assigned by Certification Leadership. The role requires strong client management, technical reporting discipline, HSE compliance, and the self-management capability that defines Bureau Veritas’s most successful Lead Auditors.
Why This Lead Auditor Role at Bureau Veritas Abu Dhabi Stands Out: Bureau Veritas is one of the world’s most globally recognized and professionally prestigious TIC organizations — a permanent Lead Auditor role here builds an internationally portable certification credential that is respected by food safety professionals worldwide, the technical scope covering ISO 22000, FSSC22000 V6/V7, and HACCP — with BRCGS, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 preferred — creates one of the most technically comprehensive and professionally well-rounded food safety auditor profiles available in the UAE certification market, ISO 17021 and ISO 22003:2022 accreditation-level audit work conducted at Bureau Veritas provides rigorous technical training and professional development that is unavailable at most employer types in the UAE food industry, Arabic and English bilingual capability is an active added advantage in this UAE certification role — creating a professional differentiator that enhances client communication quality and market value across the Gulf’s diverse F&B and food manufacturing sectors, and the structured KPI monitoring, continual development requirements, and professional training expectations within Bureau Veritas’s certification framework ensure consistent and progressive career advancement for committed Lead Auditors.
Key Responsibilities
Third-Party Certification Audit Leadership
- Plan, conduct, lead, and report third-party and second-party food safety audits in full compliance with ISO standards, ISO 17021, ISO 22003:2022, GAC accreditation requirements, and Bureau Veritas certification procedures
- Perform all certification audit activities — including complete audit execution, detailed technical report writing, and submission of audit documentation for review and certification decisions by the Certification Manager
- Conduct audits with full impartiality, confidentiality, and independence at all times — maintaining the highest standards of professional integrity required by ISO 17021 and Bureau Veritas’s accreditation obligations
- Track, manage, and communicate audit plans and schedules — ensuring all audit activities are completed on time, to the required standard, and in full accordance with client commitments and accreditation requirements
Client Relationship Management & NCR Handling
- Coordinate all client communications before, during, and after audits — managing client expectations, providing regular audit progress updates, and ensuring consistently high levels of client satisfaction throughout the certification cycle
- Manage technical queries and Non-Conformance Report (NCR) completion as per technical requirements — ensuring timely, accurate, and technically sound resolution of all audit findings within specified timeframes
- Apply deep comprehension of clients’ technical and operational needs — providing informed, professional, and practically useful audit feedback that supports clients’ genuine food safety improvement journeys
- Build and maintain strong client relationships based on technical credibility, professional communication, and consistent service quality — reinforcing Bureau Veritas’s reputation as the UAE’s most trusted food safety certification body
Compliance, HSE & Operational Excellence
- Conduct all audits without any conflict of interest (COI) and with full integrity — following Bureau Veritas’s strict impartiality protocols and accreditation requirements at every stage of every audit engagement
- Comply with all organizational HSE policies and client site safety requirements — completing all mandatory HSE training programs and following field and travel-related HSE requirements during site audit activities
- Support additional certification, compliance, and operational projects as assigned by Certification Leadership — demonstrating team player orientation and flexibility across cross-functional certification initiatives
- Monitor and report KPIs — including audit completion rates, HSE adherences, report completeness, and defect metrics — contributing to Bureau Veritas Certification UAE’s operational performance targets
Continual Development & Professional Growth
- Complete all required professional training within specified timeframes — maintaining currency of certification audit qualifications across HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC22000, and preferred BRCGS and management system standards
- Engage in regular reading of professional journals and technical literature — staying current with evolving food safety standards, certification requirements, regulatory changes, and industry best practices
- Attend appropriate professional courses and seminars — actively progressing towards individual distinctive competence targets aligned with Bureau Veritas’s certification department development framework
- Work independently with excellent self-management, time management, and proactive problem-solving capabilities — delivering timely audit reports, professional client communications, and accurate certification documentation without requiring close supervision
Qualifications & Requirements
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of experience in the food industry — spanning food safety management, quality assurance, food production, or certification auditing in a UAE, GCC, or internationally recognized food safety environment
- Experience conducting supplier audits and/or food safety certification audits — with practical knowledge of HACCP and Food Safety Management System (FSMS) implementation in food industry settings
- Knowledge of ISO 17021, ISO 22003:2022, and accreditation requirements — demonstrating understanding of the governance framework within which Bureau Veritas’s certification activities operate
About Bureau Veritas — Global Leader in Testing, Inspection & Certification
Bureau Veritas is one of the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) companies — operating in 140+ countries across consumer products, food and agriculture, commodities, industry, construction, and government services. In the UAE, Bureau Veritas provides world-class food safety certification services to food manufacturers, hospitality businesses, and food service operations — helping UAE food industry organizations achieve and maintain HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC22000, BRCGS, and other internationally recognized food safety certifications.
Joining Bureau Veritas as a Lead Auditor in Abu Dhabi means joining a global certification organization whose brand is recognized and respected across every food industry market in the world — where your technical audit expertise, professional integrity, and client management skills directly contribute to the food safety certification standards that protect consumers and enable UAE food businesses to demonstrate global food safety excellence.
Career Excellence: Lead food safety certification audits at a world-class TIC organization in Abu Dhabi — where your ISO 22000, FSSC22000, and HACCP expertise, your impartial professionalism, and your commitment to certification excellence build a truly global food safety audit career credential from one of the world’s most respected names in testing, inspection, and certification.
Who Should Apply?
- Qualified Lead Auditors — ISO 22000 & FSSC22000: With 5+ years of food industry experience and active certification audit qualifications in HACCP, ISO 22000, and FSSC22000 V6/V7 in a UAE or GCC certification environment
- Food Safety Certification Professionals: With experience conducting third-party certification audits, managing NCRs, and producing technically rigorous audit reports in line with ISO 17021 and accreditation requirements
- BRCGS & Multi-Standard Auditors: With additional qualifications in BRCGS Food V9, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or ISO 45001 — making you a genuinely versatile and commercially valuable multi-scheme lead auditor
- Arabic-English Bilingual Food Safety Auditors: With strong English communication skills and Arabic as an active added advantage — ready to manage UAE and wider GCC client relationships with cultural understanding and linguistic precision
- Food Industry Technical Experts: With BSc/MSc Food Science, Microbiology, or related qualifications and demonstrated practical HACCP and FSMS implementation knowledge gained in food production or food safety management roles
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