Senior Payroll Specialist

At Nova Sky Stories, we empower artists and producers to bring awe and wonder to live audiences around the world. As the global leader in drone entertainment, we’ve been redefining live shows for over a decade—merging cutting-edge drone technology with imaginative artistry.

With a veteran team of engineers and creatives, we design and operate lightweight, small, precise, and safe drones that perform in the most demanding environments—urban centers, extreme temperatures, and high winds. The result? Sky Stories that inspire, captivate, and transform the sky into a canvas of imagination.

Headquartered in the U.S. with teams across Europe and the UAE, Nova Sky Stories works with the world’s leading brands, venues, and events.

📱 Follow us: @NovaSkyStories

As a Senior Payroll Specialist, you will play a critical role in supporting a fast-growing, globally distributed workforce by ensuring payroll operations run accurately, efficiently, and compliantly across multiple entities and jurisdictions. This is more than a traditional payroll role — you’ll help build and scale the systems, processes, and operational structure that support teams working across live productions, technology, creative, and global operations.

You’ll partner closely with Finance, HR, and leadership to improve workflows, support international expansion, and create a best-in-class employee experience around payroll and compensation operations. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, thrives in fast-paced environments, and enjoys bringing clarity and consistency to complex, evolving operations.

As a Senior Payroll Specialist, you’ll be responsible for:

• Partner with Human Resources and Finance teams to maintain accurate employee timekeeping and payroll data.
• Administer and oversee full-cycle payroll operations across multiple countries and entities within Nova Sky Stories.
• Review payroll submissions for accuracy including hours worked, earnings, deductions, taxes, and benefit contributions.
• Manage off-cycle payroll runs including bonuses, corrections, and retroactive adjustments as needed.
• Reconcile payroll registers to funding, tax payments, and general ledger exports; manage reversals, voids, and retroactive pay corrections when necessary.
• Coordinate payroll system integrations, file feeds, and general ledger exports with Accounting to ensure accurate labor distribution and cost center mapping
  
  

Global Entity Setup & Payroll Onboarding

• Support the setup of new international entities and payroll structures within payroll and HRIS platforms, including company codes, pay groups, earnings and deductions, PTO policies, and direct deposit configurations.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and leadership to collect and validate employee and payroll data when launching operations in new countries.
• Assist with parallel payroll testing and first-live payroll processing for new locations.
• Coordinate payroll tax setup across new jurisdictions, ensuring proper configuration for local tax requirements and compliance.
  
  

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, and international labor regulations.
• Monitor tax filings, garnishments, and required withholdings in partnership with Finance and external payroll providers.
• Generate payroll and labor cost reports for leadership using payroll reporting tools.
• Support quarterly and year-end payroll processes, including tax reconciliation and year-end reporting.
• Maintain accurate multi-state and international employee tax profiles, ensuring proper tax treatment across jurisdictions.
  
  

Employee Support

• Serve as the primary point of contact for payroll-related questions from employees across the organization.
• Partner with HR and Finance to resolve payroll discrepancies and ensure timely resolution of employee concerns.
• Provide guidance to internal teams on payroll timelines, approvals, and best practices.
  
  

Process Improvement & Operational Consistency

• Help standardize payroll processes across multiple countries and operating locations.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll workflows, internal controls, and reporting efficiency.
• Support payroll system upgrades, integrations, and process improvements as the organization scales.
• Conduct periodic payroll audits including timekeeping exceptions, pay code usage, tax configuration, and general ledger mapping.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) and internal documentation to ensure consistency across the organization.
  
  

You’ll Need To Have

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 5 years of payroll experience, including multi-state payroll processing with strong attention to accuracy and compliance.
• Experience with payroll platforms such as ADP WorkforceNow, Lyric, Celergo, or similar systems.
• International payroll experience is a plus, including familiarity with foreign payroll systems and tax considerations.
• FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) or CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Googlesheets, including tools such as PivotTables and VLOOKUP.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and support employees effectively.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive payroll data with integrity.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to adapt to evolving business needs.
  
  

If you're ready to play a key role in supporting the operational backbone of a company redefining storytelling in the sky, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to help keep Nova Sky Stories flying high.