He graduated with honors from the Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR in the late 1980's, specializing in knowledge of Chinese and English.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yermekbayev worked in foreign economic organizations and in trade missions at embassies of Kazakhstan.

[4] This followed an attack the previous summer by Islamic militants at a National Guard facility in Aktobe, which resulted in the deaths of three people.

[5] He acknowledged that because of the attacks, he ordered a moderate terrorist alert be put in place and then deactivated after the situation was stabilized, which he said "did not require much time".

In an op-ed in The Diplomat, he stated that the rooting out of Islamic extremism needs to be at the "top of the global agenda" and that it "must start with young people who have been deliberately targeted by the extremists".

[6] On 4 April 2018, by the decree of the Nursultan Nazarbayev, he was dismissed from the post of Minister for Religious Affairs and Civil Society and was appointed Secretary of the Security Council once again.

[13] In August 2019, he presided over the events of the 5th International Army Games led by the Russian Ministry of Defence, in which "over 5,000 soldiers from 39 countries are taking part" according to Yermekbayev.

[17] Following the explosion at the arms depot in Jambyl Region, allegedly caused by fire which resulted in injuries and deaths of several military personnel, Yermekbayev at a briefing on 27 August 2021 announced his intent to resign, adding that the final decision would be made by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.