In the aftermath of the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has invited veterans from intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, as well as professionals with experience in securing critical infrastructure, to join its command centre responsible for securing high-stakes examinations.The NTA has invited applications for one post of General Manager – Test Security & Live Operations (GM-TSLO) on a contractual basis, as part of its efforts to strengthen examination security, real-time monitoring and prevention of malpractices during high-stakes examinations.The GM-TSLO will oversee the entire confidential question-paper lifecycle, covering the setting, vetting, translation, encryption, printing, transportation, secure storage and distribution of question papers to examination centres.The officer will also be responsible for establishing robust chain-of-custody protocols, ensuring secure transportation of confidential examination material and putting in place procedures for the opening of question-paper packets at examination centres.A key responsibility of the post will be the operation of the NTA’s Live Operations Command Centre, which will undertake real-time CCTV monitoring, track anomalies in biometric and face authentication systems, analyse IP addresses and locations, and monitor incident dashboards.The officer will also oversee security measures at examination centres, including candidate frisking, checks for prohibited items, biometric capture, candidate authentication, CCTV coverage and the use of mobile-phone jammers wherever authorised.The notification calls for the deployment of AI-driven systems to detect impersonation, suspicious patterns, mass copying and anomalies in biometric data.The GM-TSLO will be required to conduct pre-examination checks of candidates’ biometrics, photographs and signatures. The officer will also undertake post-examination analysis, including answer-pattern, cluster, response-time and image-similarity analysis, to identify anomalies that may not be detected during real-time monitoring.The officer will additionally manage independent observers and NTA flying squads responsible for spot inspections, surprise audits and rapid response at examination centres.The notification specifically identifies suspected paper leaks, impersonation, mass copying, candidate violence, mob attacks, fire, medical emergencies, technical failures and cyber disruptions as incidents requiring the GM-TSLO to lead the NTA’s response.The position will further require the maintenance of comprehensive audit records, including chain-of-custody logs, CCTV footage, biometric data, observer reports, incident registers and records of security-staff deployment.