Karki, who was named under-secretary at the then royal residence secretariat in 1984 through illustrious proclamation, joined common administration in 1990 after the restoration of vote based system. On the off chance that Karki’s prior six years of administration at the then royal residence secretariat is barred, he doesn’t meet the required criteria for holding the position.

He joined the common administration in 1984 as an Under-Secretary of the State Council and served till 2009 in various limits. He functioned as an Under Secretary from 1984 to 1993 in different limits. He was a Joint Secretary of the Government of Nepal from 1993 to 2001 when he served in the Ministry of Finance in various limits. He acted as a Convener and Chief of the Revenue Advisory Committee and Central Monitoring Unit in the Ministry of Finance. He likewise held the position of Director General of the Department of Customs. He was the primary Director General of the Department of Revenue Investigation. He served as the Secretary of Government of Nepal from 2001 to 2006. As the Secretary, he worked at the Ministry of Information and Communications, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Population and Environment and Ministry of Water Resources. He then served as the Chief Secretary of Government of Nepal from 2006 to 2009