DIO Legal Consultant Recruitment 2026

The Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), under the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence, is hiring 1 Legal Consultant (Program Executive - Legal) for its iDEX team on a contract basis. If you have an LLB with 4 years' experience or an LLM with 2 years' experience in a relevant legal field, you can apply online at idex.gov.in. The last date to apply is 31 August 2026, by 5:00 PM. You should be below 30 years of age, and the consolidated monthly consultancy fee ranges from Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 1,20,000.

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) Legal Consultant Recruitment 2026 - 1 Post

The Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) has released a notification (Advt. No. DIO/Advertisement/IC-Legal/2026(I) dated 08 July 2026) to engage a Program Executive (Legal) as an Individual Consultant for its iDEX team. iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence), launched in April 2018, works to build an innovation ecosystem for defence and aerospace in India by involving MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutions and academia, and by funding them to develop products and services for future adoption by India's defence and aerospace sector. iDEX is run by DIO, a Section-8 company set up by defence public sector undertakings HAL and BEL to help the Ministry of Defence build this innovation ecosystem. This is a purely contract-based engagement, not a regular government job, so if you are a legal professional with corporate, government or PSU experience looking for a meaningful role in India's defence innovation space, this notification is worth reading closely.

Who Can Apply?

• Qualification: LLB with at least 4 years of relevant post-qualification experience, OR LLM with at least 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience (as on 10 August 2026).
• Experience: You should have worked as a legal advisor or executive with a reputed company, government department or PSU, OR have experience in legal documentation, filing or representing cases in court, contract management, legal interpretation, or arbitration.
• Knowledge: You should understand the Acts, rules and regulations that apply to start-ups, MSMEs, government departments and companies, since the role directly deals with these entities under the iDEX programme.
• Engagement type: This is a full-time individual consultant role. While engaged with DIO, you cannot take up any other trade, business, or paid work, directly or indirectly.
• Work location: Your place of posting will be New Delhi. During the contract, DIO may post you to other locations based on its requirements.

Age Limit

• You should be below 30 years of age as on 10 August 2026.
• No specific age relaxation for reserved categories is mentioned in this notification.

Salary

• The consolidated monthly consultancy fee for Program Executive (Legal) is Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 1,20,000 per month, inclusive of all taxes, as decided by the Interview and Selection Committee at the time of selection.
• You can get an annual increment of up to 10% based on your yearly performance evaluation, as per DIO's applicable rules.
• You are responsible for paying GST on your consultancy fee, but DIO will reimburse the GST paid on the fee it pays you, if any.
• Applicable income tax will be deducted at source (TDS) before your consultancy payment, and DIO will issue you a TDS certificate.
• Even after any extension or annual increment, your monthly fee will never go beyond 1.80 times your starting fee.
• Contract duration: The engagement starts for 3 years, extendable by up to 2 more years based on DIO's requirement and your performance, and in exceptional cases up to 5 years or beyond with DIO Board approval. The contract can be extended until you turn 60 years old, whichever is earlier.

Selection Process

The selection will be done in these stages:

1. Shortlisting: Your application is screened based on qualification and experience. Shortlisted candidates are informed by email.
2. Interview: You may be called for a personal interview in New Delhi or through video conferencing. The interview may include a skill test, a personal interview, and a group discussion, debate or quiz.

DIO will not entertain any claims for travel fare to attend the interview, and it is not obliged to explain its selection decisions to applicants.

How to Apply

1. Go to the official iDEX website at www.idex.gov.in.
2. Open the Careers section on the website.
3. Fill in the online application form for Program Executive (Legal).
4. Upload all your documents in a single PDF file, within the prescribed size limit.
5. Submit your application online before 31 August 2026, 5:00 PM.

Only applications submitted through the online mode will be accepted. Applications sent through any other means will not be considered, and any deviation from the prescribed submission method, including file size, may lead to immediate rejection. For any queries, you can email eo-dio@ddpmod.gov.in or call 011-20832018.

Important Dates

• Notification Date: 08 July 2026
• Application Start Date: 08 July 2026
• Last Date to Apply Online: 31 August 2026 (5:00 PM)

• Handle all legal compliance matters applicable to DIO
• Draft, review and interpret legal documents, contracts and clauses
• Provide legal advice and decisions on iDEX-related legal matters
• Represent DIO in legal proceedings and court matters
• Manage contract negotiations and legal risk assessments
• Advise on regulatory compliance for start-ups, MSMEs and government partners under the iDEX programme
• Assist iDEX management with day-to-day legal queries
• Carry out any other legal task assigned by the COO or a senior DIO authority