Becoming a Qualified USOAP CMA Auditor and Nomination of Prospective Auditors

Becoming a Qualified USOAP CMA Auditor

The USOAP CMA relies on both internal and external resources to carry out its mandate.

In accordance with State Letter 24/80 - Short-term secondment of experts to the USOAP CMA, States and recognized organizations are invited to nominate experts for short-term secondment to ICAO in support of the USOAP CMA as auditors. ICAO Headquarters and Regional Offices also identify technical staff for training as auditors who may serve as Team Member (TMs) or Team Leaders (TLs) in future USOAP CMA activities.

The attachments to State letter 24/80 set out the minimum requirements that must be met by the candidates for potential USOAP auditors. These criteria are based on a combination of their education, work experience, technical background and training. States are strongly encouraged to nominate female experts in line with ICAO’s Assembly commitment to gender equality and advancement of women in aviation.

ICAO agrees to waive the costs associated with the USOAP auditor training, including those related to the on-the-job training (OJT). The Organization welcomes offers from Member States to help offset those costs, which would allow ICAO to plan additional OJT opportunities and expedite the training of potential USOAP auditors. Further information in this regard will be provided once a suitable OJT mission is identified.

Upon becoming qualified USOAP auditors States agree to release these experts for the conduct of at least two USOAP CMA activities per year, including off-site validations as required. States are responsible for covering all costs related to salary and benefits of their experts for the duration of the USOAP CMA activity. ICAO in turn, is responsible for covering costs associated with participation in the activity.

To become qualified USOAP auditors, all candidates are required to go through a rigorous process of pre-screening, interviewing, training and evaluation, as shown on the flowchart below.

Candidates are selected from the pool of nominated experts based on their qualifications, experience and the needs of the Programme. The selected candidates are provided with appropriate training, and only those who successfully complete their training, including an OJT assessment are qualified as USOAP CMA auditors.

Note: ICAO is under no obligation to select all prospective OJT candidates. Rather, ICAO's goal is to maintain such a roster of qualified auditors that adequately supports the annual USOAP CMA Activity Plan.

ICAO provides prospective auditors with the following training curricula:

USOAP CMA Computer-Based Training (CBT) course;
USOAP Auditor Preparation course (required prior to all OJTs as of 1 January 2024); and
On-the-job training assessment.

Nomination of Prospective Auditors

All nominations for prospective auditors must be submitted to USOAP using this website. The process of nomination includes the following steps:

Obtain a letter of nomination from your State CAA.
Refer to the requirements for your technical area of interest stipulated in the relevant attachment to ICAO State letter 24/80.
Contact your National Continuous Monitoring Coordinator (NCMC) to set up an account for you on the USOAP CMA Online Framework (OLF), where you will be submitting your application.
Click on the button below to start the process of submitting your nomination.
Login to the OLF with your newly created account credentials and submit your nomination letter, curriculum vitae, and any other required information. We will review your qualifications and experience and will contact you with the next steps.

For more information and registration, States and candidates may visit the USOAP CMA Training webpage or e-mail us with questions at: usoaptraining [at] icao.int (usoaptraining[at]icao[dot]int).