Science and Engineering Services (SES)
Science and Engineering Services, LLC (SES) is a small business, founded in 1988, that modifies, integrates and supports manned and unmanned aircraft and ground systems for the Department of War, other federal agencies and commercial customers, from prototype and fabrication through production, painting, logistics and aviation training. It also runs a research and development laboratory for lidar, laser and mass spectrometry work in Columbia, Maryland, and supports Navy and Air Force programs at Patuxent River, Warner Robins and Wright-Patterson.
In Huntsville, AL
SES is headquartered in Huntsville, where it runs its aviation and integration facility and its manufacturing operations; the company says its Huntsville work focuses on supporting the Army Aviation and Missile Command and the acquisition offices at Redstone Arsenal. It modifies, paints and supports Army helicopters and other aircraft, with three hangars at Huntsville International Airport, the newest a 111,000-square-foot hangar opened in February 2025 for fixed-wing work. SES says it is the largest tenant at the Port of Huntsville.
About Science and Engineering Services (SES) in Huntsville, AL
Science and Engineering Services, LLC (SES) is a Huntsville-headquartered small business, founded in 1988, that modifies, integrates and supports military aircraft and ground systems. It says it has worked on almost every U.S. Army helicopter platform and has about 100 aircraft in work at its facilities at any time, and the Alabama Department of Commerce reported about 800 employees in 2025. In Huntsville, SES runs a manufacturing facility on Pulaski Pike, a 1.18-million-square-foot operations and aviation integration facility on Dunlop Boulevard, and three hangars at Huntsville International Airport. The newest, a 111,000-square-foot hangar opened in February 2025, adds fixed-wing modification work. The company says its Huntsville operations focus on supporting the Army Aviation and Missile Command and the acquisition offices at Redstone Arsenal, and Huntsville's mayor called it a key supporter of PEO Aviation. Elsewhere, SES holds a U.S. Customs and Border Protection contract, awarded in 2022, to modify King Air 360ER aircraft for land interdiction, and in May 2026 delivered upgraded SH-60F helicopters to the Spanish Navy.
Culture & Work Environment
SES publishes little about its workplace culture. Its stated mission is to provide "best value" products and services through "innovation and efficiency", and its quality management system is certified to ISO 9001, AS9100 and AS9110. The company lists recent recognition on its news page: the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber named it Engineering/Defense Business of the Year for 2025, and it received the Alabama Governor's Trade Excellence Award in 2026 and the North Alabama International Trade Association's Global Trade Award in 2024. Much of the work is hands-on: aircraft modification, wiring harness fabrication, machining, welding and aircraft painting happen in SES's own Huntsville shops and hangars, alongside engineering, logistics and training staff. Ask in your interview about shift patterns and the facility where the role is based.
Hiring Process & Timeline
Apply through the careers link on SES's website, which leads to its job board. The company does not publish a hiring timeline or interview steps; a typical process at a defense manufacturer is a recruiter or HR screen followed by an interview with the hiring manager. Read each listing for its facility (its Huntsville sites or the airport hangars), its schedule and any certifications it asks for. Jobs on government contracts may also depend on the contract and on passing a background check.
Interview Tips
Be ready to talk about the aircraft and systems you have worked on. SES modifies and integrates rotary-wing, fixed-wing and unmanned aircraft, builds aviation integration kits and wiring harnesses, and paints aircraft, so concrete examples on specific platforms, such as Black Hawk or Chinook, carry weight. For engineering roles, prepare examples of prototype design, integration and test, and of working to quality standards; SES is certified to AS9100 and AS9110 and works under Defense Contract Management Agency requirements. For logistics and procurement roles, the company runs a DCMA-approved purchasing system that issues more than 15,000 purchase orders a year, so experience with high-volume government procurement is relevant. Ask which customer and program the role supports, since SES works for Army, Navy, Air Force, foreign military and federal law enforcement customers.
Security Clearance Requirements
Requirements vary by program and customer. SES works for Army, Navy, Air Force, federal law enforcement and foreign military customers, and roles on defense programs often ask for U.S. citizenship and a security clearance or the ability to obtain one, while others need only a background check for access to government sites. Each listing states its own requirement, so read it before you apply. Our clearances guide explains how the process works and what to expect.
Compensation & Salary
Check the posted ranges in SES's current listings on this site for pay figures. SES does not publish its benefits package on its website, so ask the recruiter about health coverage, retirement savings, paid leave and any shift or overtime arrangements before you accept an offer.
Open Positions
Get Matched With Defense Jobs
Tell us your skills and get personalized job matches.