- Drupal certification is run by Acquia, a company in the ecosystem, not by the Drupal project itself. So Drupal certified means Acquia certified, and it is worth knowing which you are being shown.
- Current exams cover Drupal 10 and 11, and come in developer, back end and front end specialist variants. Ask which version and which variant, because the answer dates the candidate.
- Version matters more here than on most platforms. Major Drupal upgrades have historically been migrations rather than updates, and experience on an older release does not transfer cleanly.
- Screen on module judgement. Knowing when to use a contributed module, when to configure, and when to write custom code is what keeps a site upgradeable.
- To start, post a CMS development role and review applicants as they are screened and ranked.
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Drupal has a certification programme, with one detail worth knowing before you write the job post: it is run by Acquia, a company in the Drupal ecosystem, rather than by the Drupal project itself. When a CV says Drupal certified, it means Acquia certified.
That is not a criticism of the credential, which is a real exam with real standards. It matters because you should ask which exam and which version, and because the version turns out to be the most informative thing on the whole CV.
Which Drupal certification should you ask for?
The specialist exam matching the half of the work you need, on a current version. The general developer exam tells you someone knows Drupal; the specialist exams tell you where their depth is, which is the question you actually have.
| Exam | What it covers | Ask for it when |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Drupal Developer | General competence across the platform | A broad role on a small team |
| Back End Specialist | Content modelling, custom modules, integrations | The work is structure and logic rather than presentation |
| Front End Specialist | Theming and the presentation layer | The work is design implementation on an existing site |
| Any of the above, older version | A previous Drupal generation | Treat as dated, and ask what they have shipped since |
Source: the Acquia certification programme, verified October 2026, with current exams covering Drupal 10 and 11. Confirm the current exam list before publishing a job post.
Rows two and three are the useful ones, because they are genuinely different jobs rather than levels of the same one. If your need is really the presentation layer across several technologies, hiring UI developers in India may be the better framing.
Why does the Drupal version matter so much?
Because moving between major Drupal generations has historically been closer to a migration than an upgrade. The architecture changed substantially between releases, and a developer whose depth sits in an older generation carries knowledge that only partly transfers.
This produces a specific and avoidable hiring failure: a candidate with ten years of Drupal experience, most of it on a version you are not running, who is genuinely senior and still slow for the first few months. The CV does not show it unless you ask.
So ask two questions. Which version is the site they are proudest of running on, and when did they last ship on a current release. The gap between those answers is the thing you are actually assessing.
Drupal is built on PHP, so the underlying language skill is broader than the CMS itself, and a strong PHP developer will learn a newer Drupal generation faster than a weak one will. The guide to hiring PHP developers in India covers that underlying pool.
The same version-and-framework problem shows up in mobile work, covered in hiring Ionic app developers in India, and employee benefits in India covers what candidates expect beyond salary.
How do you screen a Drupal developer?
On module judgement above everything else. Drupal's contributed module ecosystem is its greatest strength and the source of most of its long-term pain, and the difference sits entirely in how a developer decides what to install.
- A module they chose not to use: ask why. Good developers weigh maintenance status and upgrade history, not just whether it does the job today.
- A site they upgraded between major versions: ask what broke. Everyone who has done one has a story, and the absence of a story means they have not done one.
- Custom code they later removed: replacing custom work with configuration or a maintained module is a sign of someone optimising for the site rather than for their own cleverness.
- How they handled a security advisory: Drupal publishes these on a schedule, and a developer who has never acted on one has not run a site that mattered.
Confirm employment history before an offer, covered in background verification in India, and agree the working pattern early, since security releases sometimes need same-day action. The notes on working with offshore teams in India cover how teams usually settle that.
What does it cost to employ one in India?
Four things drive the number. We are not publishing a salary band here, because we do not have a dataset for this specific role that we would stand behind. What follows is what moves the figure, plus the statutory loading on top.
- Current-version depth: developers genuinely fluent on the current generation are a smaller group than the number of people with Drupal on their CV.
- Migration experience: someone who has taken a real site across a major version is worth a premium, because that is the project most organisations are putting off.
- Scale and integration surface: a brochure site and a multilingual platform integrated with other systems are different jobs sharing a title.
- Statutory loading on top of salary: provident fund, gratuity accrual and leave encashment sit above the gross figure, so budget from the loaded cost.
Model the loaded figure with the employee cost calculator, and read the mechanics of provident fund, ESI and gratuity once, since the provident fund wage ceiling rose to ₹25,000 a month on 17 September 2026 and the maximum employer contribution with it.
On the legal position of employing this way, see whether an EOR is legal in India, and for the wider language pool behind this CMS, hiring PHP developers in India.
How long does it take to hire one in India?
Four to ten weeks. India has a long-established Drupal community concentrated in digital agencies, so the pool is real. The filter that matters is current-version experience, and applying it early saves most of the time.
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Post the role and publish the job post | Same day |
| Applicants screened and ranked | Automatic, as they apply |
| Technical screen and module-judgement exercise | 3 to 5 days |
| Offer issued and accepted | 2 to 3 days |
| Notice period at current employer | 60 to 90 days from an agency, 30 from a product company |
| Onboarding and payroll setup | 24 to 48 hours |
Ask about the notice period in the first conversation rather than at offer stage. Notice period rules for remote employees in India sets out what can and cannot be shortened, and the onboarding process through an Employer of Record runs in parallel.
What is the best way to employ one in India?
A website is never finished, and a Drupal site carries an ongoing security and update obligation that does not pause. That argues for employment over a build-and-leave engagement. The comparison between an Employer of Record and your own entity goes deeper than the table.
| Model | Best for | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | Employing in India with no entity of your own | A service fee on top of salary |
| Digital agency | A build or a redesign with a launch date | Security updates become a retainer conversation |
| Independent contractor | A defined migration or feature | Reclassification, plus server access outside your control |
The second row is the pattern most organisations end up in without choosing it: an agency builds the site, then every security release becomes a billable ticket. The contractor and employee distinction also carries legal weight, an Employer of Record is a legally recognised model in India, and the employment contract should cover hosting and repository access explicitly.
How can Wisemonk help you hire Drupal developers in India?
Wisemonk is an India native Employer of Record working with 300+ global clients, with 2,000+ employees on payroll, $20M+ processed in payroll and a 4.8/5 rating on G2, pricing from $99 per employee per month. For a CMS hire that means the role is posted and applicants are screened and ranked as they apply, and once you choose someone they are employed, paid and onboarded in India without you registering a company.
If the model is still open, the overview of an Employer of Record in India explains what it covers, and employee benefits in India sets out what candidates expect alongside salary.
Post your Drupal role in India
Publish the role the same day and review applicants as they are screened and ranked. Wisemonk employs, pays and onboards your hire in 24 to 48 hours, with no local entity required.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Drupal certification?
Not from the Drupal project itself. The recognised programme is run by Acquia, a company in the Drupal ecosystem, with developer and specialist exams. It is a legitimate credential, but it is a vendor credential rather than a project one.
Which Acquia exams exist?
A Certified Drupal Developer exam plus Back End Specialist and Front End Specialist variants, with current versions covering Drupal 10 and 11. The specialist exams tell you where someone's depth actually is, which the general one does not.
Why does the Drupal version matter so much?
Because major upgrades in this ecosystem have historically been migrations rather than updates, with substantial architectural change between generations. Someone whose depth is in an older release is not immediately productive on a current one.
Should I ask for a back end or front end specialist?
Back end if the work is content modelling, custom modules and integrations. Front end if it is theming and the presentation layer. The two are genuinely different jobs, and asking for one person who does both narrows your field considerably.
What separates a strong Drupal developer?
Judgement about modules. Drupal has a large contributed module ecosystem, and the decision about what to install, what to configure and what to build custom determines whether the site can be upgraded later or becomes stuck.
What notice period will Indian candidates have?
Usually 30 to 90 days, set by contract rather than statute. Drupal skills in India sit heavily in digital agencies and services firms, which tend toward 60 to 90 days, so ask in the first conversation.
Can I employ a Drupal developer in India without an entity?
Yes. An Employer of Record becomes the legal employer in India on your instruction, runs payroll, handles provident fund and the other statutory contributions, and issues a compliant contract. Wisemonk prices this from $99 per employee per month.
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