An alumnus of Gadjah Mada University and Bogor Agricultural Institute, he started working for the government in 1994 before being placed at his public relations post in 2010.

Later, he received his master's degree and PhD in hydrology,[4] specialising in the carbon cycle and climate change,[2] from Bogor Agricultural Institute.

This apparent setback led directly to his being hired as an Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) researcher working at the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB).

During his first few months in the position, notable disasters included floods in West Papua, an earthquake and tsunami in Mentawai and the eruptions of Mount Merapi.

[12] Later in 2018, Straits Times named him as one of the Asians of the Year, along with a group of other disaster management and relief figures collectively called "The First Responders".

[14] The following year, after Basuki was arrested and imprisoned for religious blasphemy, Sutopo publicly praised the former governor on the latter's 51st birthday via Twitter for his success in reducing Jakarta's flooding.

[18] Despite needing to refrain from physically intensive activities,[19] he continued to work and maintained his social media presence, providing information on events including the sinking of MV Sinar Bangun[20] and the Lombok earthquakes.