NIOS Joint Director Recruitment 2026

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), an autonomous institution under the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, has invited applications for two Group A Joint Director posts on a direct recruitment basis. Candidates with the relevant academic background and experience may apply for Joint Director (Capacity Building Cell) or Joint Director (Media).

There are two vacancies in total, one for each post, and both are unreserved. Applications are accepted online through the NIOS recruitment portal. The online deadline is 30 days from the notification’s publication in Employment News; applicants must also send a printout and supporting documents by Speed Post within seven days of submitting the online form. The selection process consists of shortlisting followed by an interview.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

NIOS has notified two posts, with one vacancy assigned to each role. Both vacancies are in the Unreserved (UR) category and carry Pay Level 13.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Joint Director (Capacity Building Cell): Applicants must hold a Second Class Master’s Degree in any subject from a recognised university. The notification also lists working knowledge of computer operations, experience in an open-learning or distance-education institution, and a postgraduate degree or diploma in Education or Distance Education as desirable qualifications.

The experience requirement for this post is either holding an analogous post with Grade Pay of Rs. 8,700, or having five years of experience in Pay Level 12 (Rs. 78,800–209,200) in a Central or State Government department, autonomous organisation, university or board. The relevant experience should involve academic administration, planning, preparing or producing self-learning material or textbooks for distance education, and/or related areas. Experience organising training programmes, workshops, seminars or conferences in educational organisations is also required. Candidates must have working knowledge of Hindi and English.

Joint Director (Media): Applicants need a Master’s Degree, preferably in Mass Communication, together with a postgraduate degree or diploma from a recognised university or institute in the production of radio programmes or films. They must also have experience planning and executing media production: either five years in Pay Level 12 (Rs. 78,800–209,200), ten years in Pay Level 11 (Rs. 67,700–208,700), or equivalent experience. Experience in open learning or distance education is desirable.

For both posts, the closing date for online applications is the cut-off date for assessing qualifications, age and other eligibility conditions.

Age Limit

The stated age limit for Joint Director (Capacity Building Cell) is 50 years. For Joint Director (Media), candidates must be below 47 years. Age relaxation is available under Government of India rules, provided the applicant’s age after relaxation does not exceed 56 years on the crucial date. The age limit does not apply to NIOS employees.

Application Fee

The application fee must be paid online. A separate online processing charge of Rs. 70 applies to each transaction. The fee is non-refundable, and applications submitted without the prescribed fee will be rejected.

How to Apply

1. Visit www.nios.ac.in or the NIOS recruitment portal at www.recruitment.nios.ac.in. No application mode other than online submission is accepted.
2. Read the full advertisement and application instructions carefully, then open the online application form.
3. Enter accurate personal, educational and employment or experience details.
4. Upload the required scanned documents, including certificates for educational qualifications, proof of date of birth and experience, a No Objection Certificate if applicable, a scanned signature and a passport-size photograph.
5. Pay the applicable category-wise fee online, along with the processing charge where applicable, and submit the form within 30 days of the notification’s publication in Employment News.
6. Print the successfully submitted application and send it, together with all documents uploaded with the application, by Speed Post within seven days of online submission.
7. Address the envelope to the Deputy Director (Admn.), Recruitment Section, National Institute of Open Schooling, A–24–25, Institutional Area, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309. Superscribe it with “Application for the post of ______________”, inserting the post applied for.
8. Keep the application printout and acknowledgement for future reference. For difficulties submitting the online form, email recruitmentcell@nios.ac.in. NIOS states that correspondence will be conducted through email only.

Salary & Pay Scale

Both Joint Director posts are placed in Pay Level 13, with a pay range of Rs. 1,23,100 to Rs. 2,15,900.

Selection Process

NIOS will assess applications against criteria set according to the institution’s requirements and may shortlist candidates before inviting them to an interview. Meeting the essential qualifications does not by itself guarantee an interview, and NIOS may limit the number of candidates called before the Selection Committee. Applicants currently employed by a Central Government or State Government body, autonomous organisation or university must provide a No Objection Certificate or cadre clearance at the interview. Their current employer must also certify vigilance clearance and integrity.

Eligible candidates should check the detailed notification and submit their online application within the stated 30-day period. They should allow enough time to send the required hard copy by Speed Post within seven days of online submission.