Misra was appointed as the Fertilizers Secretary of India by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in January 2002;[6][7] Misra assumed the office of secretary in January 2002 and demitted it in January 2004, serving for approximately two years.[7]
Telecom Secretary of India
Misra was appointed as the Telecom Secretary of and chairperson of Telecom Commission by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in January 2004;[6] Misra assumed the office of secretary in January 2004 and retired from service in March 2005, serving for more than a year.[7]
Post-retirement
Chairperson of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
After his retirement from the Indian Administrative Service, Misra was appointed as the chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in March 2006,[2][6][8] succeeding another retired IAS officer, Pradip Baijal,[8] Misra demitted the office of chairperson of TRAI in March 2009,[9][10] serving as the regulator's head for threeyears and was succeeded by J. S. Varma, another IAS officer and former Telecom Secretary in May 2009.[9][10]
He resigned as member of the Board of Directors of Usha Martin Limited on May 26, 2014 upon being invited to join the PMO under the newly formed Modi government.[11][12] He is also a former member of the Executive Council at the Vivekananda International Foundation.[13]
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India
During his tenure as principal secretary, Misra has been considered to be one of the most powerful bureaucrats in India.[24]
On June 11, 2019, Misra was re-appointed as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment along with re-appointment of Additional Principal Secretary Pramod Kumar Misra with effect from May 31, 2019. These appointments were designated to be co-terminous with the term of the Prime Minister.[25]
On 30 August, Misra quit his position as principal secretary at the PMO, though he confirmed he would continue for a couple of weeks at the request of the Prime Minister.[26]
Chairperson of NMML
Post his resignation as principal secretary, Mishra was appointed the chairperson of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in January 2020.[27]
Chairman of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra
Nripendra Misra was elected as the chairman of the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in February 2020. The move was seen as part of government strategy to keep a close engagement with the ambitious Ram Mandir project.[28]