Become a Data Protection Officer.

IT Project Managers plan, execute, and close technology projects — from ERP rollouts and infrastructure migrations to custom software delivery for clients — within defined scope, timeline, and budget constraints. In India, the role is dominant in IT services firms (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL Technologies) where PMs manage client-facing delivery under T&M or fixed-price contracts, and increasingly in product companies (Razorpay, PhonePe, Freshworks) where the title is often Programme Manager or Delivery Manager. Unlike a Product Manager (who owns the why and the roadmap) or a Scrum Master (who facilitates the Agile ceremony), the IT PM owns the triple constraint — scope-time-cost — and is accountable to the client or sponsor for delivery governance, risk mitigation, and stakeholder communication from project initiation to post-go-live support handoff. PMP from PMI and PRINCE2 are the most recognized credentials in the Indian IT services context; CSM or SAFe certifications matter in Agile-heavy product companies.

SOC 2 Auditors perform AICPA-standard attestation engagements for service organizations — SaaS, cloud infrastructure, fintech, and BPO providers — examining whether their controls satisfy the Trust Services Criteria (TSC): Security (CC1-CC9), Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. In India the practice is concentrated at Big-4 attestation groups (KPMG, EY, Deloitte, PwC) and boutique firms (BDO India, Grant Thornton, Pingsafe, Dhruva Advisors) that serve GCC-heavy corridors in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune. A SOC 2 Auditor plans the engagement scope, conducts control walkthroughs, selects and evaluates evidence samples, documents exceptions, communicates deficiencies to management, and issues a Type I (point-in-time design effectiveness) or Type II (6–12 month operating effectiveness) opinion letter under SSAE 18 and AT-C Section 205.

Transportation Engineers in India plan, design, and deliver the geometric, pavement, drainage, and traffic systems that underpin the country's roads, highways, metros, and airport ground-side infrastructure. Day-to-day work spans IRC-compliant geometric design (sight distances, super-elevation, vertical curves under IRC SP-73 and IRC 86), flexible pavement design following IRC 37 against design traffic in msa, cross-drainage structure hydraulics, traffic volume studies and Level-of-Service analysis, preparation of MORTH-format BOQs, and software-intensive production in AutoCAD Civil 3D, MX Road, VISSIM, SIDRA, and GIS. The Indian employer universe splits into three tiers: private EPC contractors and concessionaires running NHAI HAM/BOT corridors (L&T GeoStructure, IRB Infra, Adani Roads, Tata Projects, HG Infra, Dilip Buildcon, Ashoka Buildcon); specialist transportation consultancies delivering DPRs, Detailed Design reports, and PMC mandates (Egis India, AECOM India, Louis Berger, Mott MacDonald, SNC-Lavalin ATKINS, Systra, STUP); and PSU authorities (NHAI, NHDP PMUs, DMRC, BMRCL, MMRDA, AAI) that absorb IES and GATE-ranked engineers into project management and independent engineering roles. Specialization tracks — highway, urban transport planning, metro civil, airport landside, traffic engineering — diverge sharply by year 4-5.

CSR Managers in India operationalise the mandate created by Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013 — the world's first statutory CSR law — which requires companies above a specified threshold to spend 2% of average net profit (3 preceding years) on Schedule VII activities. At TCS Foundation, Infosys Foundation, Tata Trusts, Wipro Foundation, RIL CSR, and ITC's social initiatives, this means building multi-year programmes in education, livelihood, health, environment, and rural development; selecting and monitoring NGO implementation partners; conducting impact assessments; and filing the mandatory CSR-2 annual return with MCA. The role spans both strategy (Schedule VII alignment, board CSR committee secretarial) and execution (budget disbursement, audit coordination, BRSR disclosure). Unlike philanthropy roles, Indian CSR Managers work inside a compliance-and-governance framework — impact without audit trails and proper disclosure is a legal liability.

Agile Coaches operate at the organizational layer above Scrum Masters — they coach portfolios of teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Engineering Managers, and C-suite leaders on agile ways of working at scale. In India, the role is concentrated in three clusters: Agile CoEs inside IT services giants (Infosys Agile Academy, TCS Pace Port, Wipro Lab45, Capgemini Invent), product unicorns that are scaling delivery models (Razorpay, Flipkart, CRED, Swiggy, Zepto), and SAFe/LeSS partner consulting firms (Agile42, Accenture SolutionsIQ, Valtech, Thoughtworks India, Scaled Agile partner network). Day-to-day work is running PI Planning events for 50-500 people, facilitating Lean Portfolio Management sessions, coaching leadership on Cynefin-informed decision-making in complex domains, and reducing ART-level dependencies via dependency mapping and system demos. The most effective Indian Agile Coaches hold SAFe SPC, ICP-ACC (ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Coaching), or CSP-SM combined with deep delivery experience — not just certifications acquired in classroom weekends.

Agronomists in India bridge crop science and commercial outcomes — advising farmers on soil fertility, pest and disease management, irrigation scheduling, and variety selection for agri-input companies (Tata-Rallis, UPL, Syngenta India, Bayer CropScience, Coromandel, IFFCO) and agtech platforms (DeHaat, Cropin, Ninjacart, BharatAgri). On the input side, the role is equal parts field science and sales support: running demonstration plots, validating product claims in trial conditions, and translating research into farmer-ready language. On the agtech side, agronomists build crop advisory engines, interpret satellite NDVI and weather data (Skymet, Cropin SmartFarm), and train field agents who reach millions of smallholders. Entry is typically M.Sc. Agriculture with agronomy specialisation from a state agricultural university (PAU Ludhiana, TNAU Coimbatore, PJTSAU Hyderabad, GBPUAT Pantnagar, UAS Bangalore), often followed by ICAR-JRF or an ARS-NET attempt for those pursuing the research track.

ISO 27001 Auditors conduct formal certification and surveillance audits of Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) against ISO/IEC 27001:2022, verifying Annex A control implementation, Statement of Applicability completeness, and risk treatment plans. In India, the role sits at certification bodies accredited by NABCB — STQC (Government of India), BSI Group India, DNV India, TÜV Süd, Bureau Veritas, and Intertek — plus independent IRCA Lead Auditor-certified consultants who serve as third-party gap-assessment or Stage 1/Stage 2 lead auditors under contract. The audit cycle runs Stage 1 (documentation review, ISMS scope), Stage 2 (on-site evidence gathering, control effectiveness), annual surveillance audits, and three-year recertification cycles. Nonconformities are graded major (ISMS breakdown) or minor (isolated control gap), with corrective-action verification before certificate issue. Most Indian auditors carry IRCA LA ISO 27001 certification and fulfil CPD hours annually through IRCA or CQI.

Senior: ₹55.0L

A SEBI Grade A Officer (Assistant Manager) works at the Securities and Exchange Board of India — the statutory regulator of India's capital markets. Unlike a bank officer, the work is entirely supervisory, investigative, and policy-facing: scrutinising IPO and FPI documents, running algorithmic-surveillance alerts for front-running and insider-trading patterns, adjudicating enforcement proceedings, and drafting consultation papers on retail investor protection. Entry is via a three-phase national exam (Prelims + Mains + Interview) across streams including General, Legal, IT, Engineering, Research, and Official Language. The Grade A pay scale of ₹44,500-89,150 plus DA, HRA, and special allowances translates to ₹1.0-1.25L gross monthly at entry — at par with NABARD Grade A and significantly above SBI PO.

Senior: ₹34.0L

Drug Safety Officers — also called Pharmacovigilance (PV) Officers — are the people who track, assess, and report adverse drug reactions (ADRs) after a medicine is on the market. In India the field is dominated by two streams: KPO/BPO PV operations (Cognizant LifeSciences, Accenture PV, TCS BPS, Wipro PV) that process global ICSR (Individual Case Safety Report) volumes on behalf of Big Pharma, and in-house PV departments at multinationals and domestic majors (Pfizer India, Novartis, GSK, Sun Pharma, Cipla). Core workflow is ICSR intake from spontaneous reports, literature, and clinical trials → MedDRA coding of adverse events → narrative writing → submission of 15-day expedited reports and periodic aggregates (PSUR/PBRER) to USFDA, EMA, and CDSCO / PvPI. Entry requires B.Pharm / Pharm.D / M.Sc Life Sciences; a certified PV course (ISPOR/ISOP or provider certifications) significantly accelerates hiring.

Senior: ₹35.0L

Compliance Officers at Indian BFSI firms (banks, AMCs, brokers, NBFCs, insurance companies) ensure that business activities stay within the boundaries set by SEBI, RBI, IRDAI, PMLA, FATCA/CRS, and company-specific policies — catching violations before they reach regulators, not after. At a Sebi-registered broker like Zerodha or Groww, this means monitoring algorithmic-trading logs for front-running, reviewing client KYC/AML files for PEP hits, and filing monthly/quarterly compliance reports to SEBI. At an HDFC AMC or Nippon AMC, it means pre-clearing fund manager trades under PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading) regulations and ensuring scheme documents are compliant with SEBI MFTC norms. At an NBFC like Bajaj Finance or L&T Finance, it means FAIR Practices Code adherence, RBI master direction compliance, and PMLA controls. The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) is now a mandatory SEBI/RBI-mandated role, making this one of the few mid-to-senior finance tracks with a statutorily guaranteed demand floor.

Senior: ₹60.0L

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) Officer works for India's domestic intelligence agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — the country's oldest intelligence organisation, founded in 1887. The primary entry route is the SSC IB ACIO exam (Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II / Executive), open to graduates; a second route is ACIO-I / Sub-Inspector through SSC CGL with IB as stream preference. IB officers collect, analyse, and disseminate intelligence on threats to internal security — counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, communal tensions, organised crime, espionage, and politically sensitive surveillance — exclusively within India's borders. Unlike RAW (external intelligence), IB has no mandate outside India. Officers work in plainclothes, operate human-intelligence (HUMINT) networks, conduct source meetings, surveil persons of interest, analyse open-source and signals intelligence, write threat assessments for MHA and the Prime Minister's Office, and brief senior IPS/IAS officers and ministers on actionable intelligence. The career is shrouded in official secrecy — officers are barred from discussing their work publicly, and the service has no official social-media presence.

Senior: ₹24.0L