NHIDCL Associate Recruitment 2026 – 100 SSGS Posts

National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has released the Associate Recruitment 2026 notification on 06.07.2026 at the official website www.nhidcl.com. As per Hiring Notice No. 07/2026 dated 06.07.2026, the online application process begins from 08.07.2026 and closes on 05.08.2026. This recruitment is for young civil engineering graduates seeking a contractual consultancy post in national highway infrastructure projects across the North Eastern Region, hilly states, and border areas.

NHIDCL has announced 100 vacancies for the post of Associate (100) under the State Specific Graduate Scheme (SSGS), spread across 14 States and Union Territories, with postings at Regional Offices, Project Management Units, and Site Offices under NHIDCL’s jurisdiction. Candidates should check all details from the below article.

Read this article carefully and go through the official notification before applying.

Information verified from official National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited notification No. 07/2026 dated 06.07.2026.

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Quick Summary of NHIDCL Associate Recruitment 2026

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About NHIDCL

National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited was set up under the Companies Act, 2013, as a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India. It began operations in September 2015. NHIDCL is responsible for developing National Highways in the North Eastern Region, hilly states, and border and strategic areas. For candidates, this means the Associate post under this recruitment involves direct exposure to highway construction and monitoring in some of the country’s most difficult terrain. Official website: www.nhidcl.com.

Engagement Type, Tenure & Payment Terms

The Associate post is purely contractual. The notification states that Associates will hold the legal status of an independent consultant and will not be treated as a staff member, official, or employee of NHIDCL. No employer-employee relationship is created by the consultancy contract.

The initial engagement period is 2 years, extendable by 1 year at a time up to a maximum of 3 years (2+1). Continuation beyond the first year depends on the decision of the Consultants’ Review Committee (CRC).

Selected Associates go through a 3-day Induction Module, and NHIDCL may prescribe Competency Tests at any time, periodic or otherwise, which Associates must clear as per the minimum qualifying marks prescribed. Monthly remuneration is paid within 7 days after completion of the month, subject to work certification by the Controlling Officer. Income tax is deducted at source, and TDS certificates are issued; GST liability, where applicable, rests with the individual consultant.

This recruitment is domicile-based, meaning a candidate can only apply for the State or UT where they hold domicile, except for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where candidates from other States/UTs may also apply. The 100 vacancies are spread across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu, Srinagar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, West Bengal, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Postings will be at NHIDCL’s Regional Offices, Project Management Units, or Site Offices, several of which are located in remote, border, or hilly terrain. For candidates in Guwahati, Shillong, Itanagar, Gangtok, Siliguri, or Agartala, this places the point of engagement close to home rather than requiring relocation to Delhi or another metro, since NHIDCL’s field structure is decentralised by design across these States/UTs.

Important Dates

The application window is short at under a month, so candidates should complete registration on the Resource Pool Portal well before the closing time.

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Vacancy Details & Salary

Here’s the breakdown of posts, total vacancy and salary for your reference.

State/UT-wise vacancy distribution:

The notification states that this vacancy count is tentative and may increase or decrease depending on project requirements, and NHIDCL reserves the right to fill all, some, or none of the advertised vacancies without assigning any reason.

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Terms of Reference & Job Responsibilities

The notification lists an indicative Terms of Reference for Associates under SSGS. The detailed responsibilities will be drawn up by the respective Regional Office at the time of engagement, but the notified functions cover five areas:

1. Project Preparation & Design Appraisal – Assisting in review of feasibility studies, DPRs, alignment plans, and compliance with IRC/MoRTH standards.
2. Construction Supervision & Project Monitoring – Undertaking field visits and monitoring physical and financial progress, quality, safety, and adherence to specifications.
3. Contract & Documentation Support – Assisting in contract management, correspondence, technical notes, and project records/MIS.
4. Quality Assurance & Technical Compliance – Reviewing test results and site practices, and ensuring compliance with approved drawings and QAPs.
5. Post-Construction & O&M Support – Supporting completion documentation, punch-list closure, and monitoring during the defect liability period.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the Associate post include education, experience, domicile, and age requirements. Candidates should make sure they meet all the conditions before applying.

Educational Qualification

• Graduation in Civil Engineering or an equivalent discipline from IITs, NITs, or other institutions ranked within the top 100 in the Engineering category of NIRF Rankings for the year of graduation, or the preceding year in case the candidate is completing graduation in the current year.
• Final-year students may apply, provided they are likely to complete graduation before joining.

Experience Required

0–2 years of experience after completing the essential educational qualification.

Domicile Requirement

A candidate is eligible to apply for a vacancy advertised for a particular State/UT only if they hold domicile of that State/UT. For Andaman & Nicobar Islands, candidates from other States/UTs may also apply since adequate domicile candidates were not available in the previous recruitment cycle, though preference is given to A&N Islands domicile holders.

Age Limit

Upper age limit: 30 years, as on the date of issue of the Engagement Advertisement. The notification does not mention any category-wise age relaxation.

Selection Process

Selection under this scheme is based on inclusion in NHIDCL’s Eligible Pool of Applicants rather than a single written examination. The notification describes the following stages:

1. Registration on the NHIDCL Resource Pool Portal and submission of profile with educational and identity details.
2. Screening of profiles against the prescribed qualification, domicile, age, and experience conditions to form the Eligible Pool of Applicants.
3. Shortlisting and interview/assessment, conducted at NHIDCL’s discretion and subject to availability of vacancies and approval of the Competent Authority.
4. Background Verification (BGV), covering identity, address, educational and professional qualifications, and character antecedents.

One practical detail from the notification: candidates who applied for the same post under Hiring Notice No. 05/2025 and remain in the Resource Pool Portal, including those interviewed but not selected earlier, need not submit a fresh application.

How to Apply for NHIDCL Associate Recruitment 2026

1. Visit the NHIDCL Resource Pool Portal at the official application link.
2. Register on the portal and complete the candidate profile with educational, identity, and experience details.
3. Select the Associate post under the State Specific Graduate Scheme for the eligible State/UT of domicile.
4. Submit the application before 05.08.2026 (5:00 PM).
5. Retain the registered email ID active for one year, since NHIDCL does not permit any change of email ID once registered, and all correspondence is sent only to helpdesk-resource@nhidcl.com.

Documents Checklist Before You Leave Home (as required for background verification):

• Proof of identity
• Proof of address
• Educational qualification certificates and mark sheets (graduation and NIRF-ranked institution proof)
• Proof of domicile for the concerned State/UT
• Character antecedents documents, as may be requested by NHIDCL

Important Links

Candidates applying for the Associate post are advised to visit the important links below for the official PDF and application form:

Should You Apply?

This recruitment suits civil engineering graduates from IITs, NITs, or NIRF Top-100 ranked institutions, with 0–2 years of experience, who hold domicile in one of the 14 listed States/UTs and are under 30 years of age. It is not a good fit for candidates outside these States/UTs, other than for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, or for candidates from institutions outside the NIRF Top-100 Engineering list, since the notification sets this as a fixed qualification bar.

With 100 vacancies restricted to a narrow set of qualifying institutions and domicile conditions, competition per State/UT is likely to stay moderate compared to open, all-India civil engineering recruitments. Based on comparable PSU young-professional consultancy schemes, this kind of post-graduation contractual stint is often used by candidates to build field experience in project supervision before moving to core engineering or PSU roles; this is editorial context, not part of the official notification. One trade-off worth noting: the Associate post carries no employer-employee relationship, and no facility or allowance beyond the fixed consultancy fee, except the Location Allowance for Andaman & Nicobar Islands deployment.

FAQs — Associate Recruitment 2026

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandeep Khati is the founder of India Job Alerts and a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). He started his career as a Systems Engineer at TCS and has been active in digital publishing since 2011, beginning with SearchDarjeeling.com(2011) and working as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics. Launched in April 2025, India Job Alerts is his most focused project — dedicated to publishing verified government and PSU job notifications for West Bengal, Sikkim, and All-India candidates. Every post is cross-checked against official notifications before publishing.. Know more

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