First Wave International Certification Private Limited (FICPL) is a NABCB-accredited certification body headquartered in Cochin, Kerala. FICPL provides third-party management system certification under NABCB accreditations (ISO 9001:2015), (ISO/IEC 27001:2022, with ISO/IEC 27701 as an extension) and (ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018), serving clients across India.

FICPL operates strictly as a certification body. It does not provide consultancy, and it manages impartiality as a core business requirement.

Key Responsibilities

1. Application and contract review

· Review completed application forms for completeness, scope clarity, number of sites and effective personnel, and confirm FICPL's competence and accreditation cover for the requested scope.

· Allocate IAF / sector codes and determine audit time, multi-site sampling and integrated-audit arrangements in line with the applicable IAF Mandatory Documents, recording the justification.

· Review certification transfer requests from other certification bodies against IAF requirements.

· Provide the technical inputs (scope, audit time, programme) for proposals. The role does not negotiate fees and carries no sales target.

2. Audit programme and audit team appointment

· Establish and maintain the three-year audit programme for every certified client.

· Select and appoint competent audit teams, matched to scheme, sector code and language, after obtaining and reviewing conflict-of-interest declarations.

· Approve audit plans and issue audit intimations; coordinate scheduling with clients and auditors.

· Arrange technical experts, observers and trainee auditors where required, with the client's agreement.

3. Technical review and certification decision preparation

· Review returned audit records for completeness and technical adequacy: audit reports, nonconformity reports, corrective-action evidence, attendance records and audit plans.

· Verify that nonconformities have been closed within the required time and to the required standard before a file proceeds.

· Prepare the complete pre-decision review and certification decision file for the decision-maker.



Certification decisions are taken by a competent person who was not involved in the audit; the Certification Manager does not take decisions on files they audited or reviewed as part of the audit team.

4. Certificate lifecycle

· Track surveillance and recertification due dates and initiate each activity in time.

· Manage suspension, withdrawal, restoration, and expansion or reduction of scope, including client notifications.

· Maintain accurate certificate records and ensure timely upload of certification data to the IAF CertSearch database as required by the IAF.

5. Auditor and technical expert panel

· Run empanelment: screening, eligibility checks against FICPL's competence criteria, interviews, induction and authorisation.

· Plan and evaluate witness audits, monitor auditor performance at least annually, and maintain competence records and the auditor roster.

· Identify competence gaps and plan training and continuing career development for the panel.

6. Accreditation and regulatory compliance

· Act as the operational point of contact for NABCB office assessments, witness audits and surveillance, and lead the preparation of client files and records for review.

· Prepare root-cause analyses and corrective-action responses to accreditation findings.

· Monitor changes in standards, IAF Mandatory Documents and NABCB requirements, and plan transitions to new standard editions.

7. Impartiality, confidentiality, complaints and appeals

· Contribute to the impartiality risk assessment and identify new threats arising from certification activities.

· Investigate complaints and support the appeals process, except where personally involved in the matter.

· Protect the confidentiality of all client information in line with FICPL procedures.

8. Management system and reporting

· Keep certification procedures, forms and records current and under document control.

· Support internal audits and provide operational data for management reviews.





· Report monthly to the CEO on pipeline, audit programme status, file backlog, overdue activities and key performance indicators.

9. People leadership

· Line-manage the Office Coordinator: allocation of work, quality of client communication and record-keeping, and development.

· Build a disciplined, records-first operations culture that is ready for assessment at all times.

10. Auditing

· Conduct approximately 40 to 60 audit man-days per year as Lead Auditor, principally ISO/IEC 27001 and integrated audits, to keep personal competence current.

Qualifications and Experience

Education -

Graduate or postgraduate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or Science from a recognised institution /

Postgraduate qualification or professional certification in information security, privacy or service management

Lead Auditor training -

Recognised 40-hour ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor course/

ISO 9001:2015 and / or ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 Lead Auditor course (if not held, to be completed within 12 months of joining); ISO/IEC 27701 training

Total experience

6 to 10 years of professional experience, including at least 4 years in information technology or information security /

Experience in IT services, software or regulated sectors

Certification body experience

At least 3 years working in or for an accredited certification body (NABCB or another IAF MLA signatory accreditation body) /

Experience as technical reviewer or certification decision-maker

Audit experience

At least 40 third-party audit man-days as Team Leader, including initial certification and surveillance audits for ISO/IEC 27001 /

Integrated or multi-site audit experience; audits across more than one scheme

Accreditation exposure

Has taken part in at least one accreditation body office assessment or witness audit /

Has prepared responses to accreditation body findings

Knowledge

ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 27006-1 and the IAF Mandatory Documents for audit time, multi-site, integrated audits and transfers. /

Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and its relevance to privacy audits

Benefits:

- Health insurance
- Paid sick time
- Provident Fund

Work Location: In person

📌 Certification Manager - Operations (Kochi)
🏢 First Wave International Certificatios
📍 Kochi