Misra served in various positions for both the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh as an IAS officer, he served in positions such as Principal Secretary (Home-II), Principal Secretary to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, member of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Revenue, chairperson and chief executive officer of Greater NOIDA, secretary in the now-erstwhile Department of Institutional Finance, Taxation and Excise and as a special secretary in the Department of Finance in the Uttar Pradesh government; and as Union Telecom Secretary and chairperson of Telecom Commission, Union Fertilizers Secretary, additional secretary looking after World Trade Organization affairs in the Ministry of Commerce, and as a joint secretary in Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance in the Indian government.