The National Testing Agency (NTA) has initiated an institutional rebuild, advertising for four General Managers and sixteen Young Professionals. The move follows recommendations from the Prof K Radhakrishnan-led High-Level Committee of Experts.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, has this week issued advertisements for a set of senior professional appointments at the level of General Manager and has separately opened the engagement of sixteen Young Professionals through the Pratibha Setu portal of the Union Public Service Commission.

According to a press release, these measures represent the first concrete step in the institutional rebuild of NTA that is being implemented in line with the recommendations of the High-Level Committee of Experts chaired by Prof K Radhakrishnan.

New Senior Professional Appointments

Four General Manager positions on contract, each for an initial term of three years, have been notified.

General Manager, Assessment Research and Development

The General Manager, Assessment Research and Development and Psychometrics, will head NTA's academic and measurement-science function, with responsibility for item banks, normalisation methodology, equating and calibration procedures, and pilots on Computer-Adaptive Testing and AI-assisted assessment. As per the release, the position requires a Doctorate in Psychometrics, Educational Measurement, Statistics or an allied discipline, with a minimum of twelve years of post-doctoral experience and at least five years at a senior leadership level in a national or international testing organisation.

General Manager, Test Centre Network and Operations

The General Manager, Test Centre Network and Operations, will lead NTA's nationwide test-centre footprint, spanning over five hundred cities and select international centres, with responsibility for empanelment standards, capacity planning, centre quality, accessibility for candidates with benchmark disabilities, hygiene and amenities, examination-day operations, and coordination with State and District administrations. The position requires senior operations leadership experience in a large multi-site network of at least two hundred locations.

General Manager, Information Security

The General Manager, Information Security, designated as NTA's Chief Information Security Officer, will head the cyber-security function of the Agency and be responsible for the security of all NTA systems, applications, networks and data. As per the release, the position carries specific responsibility for compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) directions, and for operation of a round-the-clock Security Operations Centre. The position requires twelve years of information-security experience, of which at least five years at a senior leadership level, and a professional certification such as CISSP, CISM, CISA or equivalent.

General Manager, Vigilance and Investigations

The General Manager, Vigilance, Investigation and Forensics, will head NTA's internal vigilance, investigations and digital forensics function. Responsibilities include leading enquiries into suspected malpractice, building an in-house digital forensics capability, and coordinating with the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Intelligence Bureau, the Enforcement Directorate, State Police and Cyber-crime units on cases arising under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The position requires fifteen years of investigation, vigilance or law-enforcement experience, of which at least five years at a senior leadership level.

Engagement of Young Professionals

Separately, the engagement of sixteen Young Professionals is being made through the Pratibha Setu portal of the Union Public Service Commission. This is being undertaken by NTA for the first time. The engagement is open to candidates who have appeared in the Civil Services Examination and are on the Pratibha Setu portal, with twelve positions in academic research, two in legal research and two in finance and accounts.

Young Professionals will be placed in NTA's Academic Unit, Legal Unit and Finance and Accounts Unit respectively, on a consolidated monthly remuneration, for an initial term of twenty-four months, extendable up to a total of thirty-six months based on performance.

Systematic Strengthening of NTA

Further recruitment and empanelment actions across the ten functional verticals recommended by the High-Level Committee of Experts will follow in the coming weeks.

The measures notified today, together with the Expression of Interest for a fresh empanelment of Subject Matter Experts and Translators issued separately, are part of a systematic strengthening of the academic, operational, technological and integrity capabilities of the National Testing Agency. (ANI)

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