Senior Director Global HR

Hey — Let's find your next opportunity 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 Senior Director, Global HR We are seeking a strategic and hands‑on Senior Director, Global HR to build, scale, and lead our global People function. This is a builder role: you will design the infrastructure, systems, and frameworks that enable a high‑performance organization to scale responsibly across multiple countries. You will bring structure without bureaucracy and serve as a trusted strategic partner to leadership — balancing business outcomes with a people‑first approach. In this role, you will build core HR administration and systems, partner closely with Recruiting, strengthen culture and internal communications, and develop people analytics that clearly demonstrate impact and inform decision‑making. You will collaborate with external HR/legal partners as needed and may lead/mentor recruiting resources as the team grows. As a Senior Director, Global HR, you'll be responsible for: Build‑Out: HR Systems & Administrative Ownership • Build core HR administration from the ground up: policies, workflows, documentation standards, and scalable operating rhythms. • Select, implement, and own HRIS and supporting tools; establish governance, data integrity standards, and reporting cadence. • Establish compliant onboarding/offboarding and lifecycle processes across multiple countries; ensure audit readiness. • Create and maintain SOPs, templates, checklists, and service‑level expectations for People Operations. Strategic Thought Partnership & Organizational Design • Serve as an independent thinker and strategic thought partner to leadership on organizational design and scaling decisions. • Build and execute a People strategy aligned to business objectives, with clear prioritization and measurable outcomes. • Influence without micromanagement: identify needs, bring forward ideas, and drive initiatives end‑to‑end. • Provide managers with pragmatic coaching on performance management, accountability, and feedback. Compliance, Governance & Risk (Global) • Own global compliance strategy and execution, partnering closely with Legal; proactively identify and mitigate risk. • Oversee employment classifications (employee vs. contractor) and contractor lifecycle management (agreements, renewals, expirations). • Maintain compliance calendars (trainings, acknowledgements, required postings) and track completion to closure. • Lead employee relations matters and investigations with discretion, consistency, and documentation discipline. • Own leave management processes (including parental/maternity/paternity), ensuring compliant administration and communication. • Partner with Recruiting to support forecasting, headcount planning, and hiring execution; align hiring priorities to business needs. • Support role clarity, leveling, and job description development; ensure consistent interview practices and decision quality. • Improve candidate experience and communication; support streamlined, high‑urgency hiring processes as needed. Culture, Internal Communications & Manager Enablement • Own People‑related internal communications (policies, launches, training rollouts, process changes) with clarity and consistency. • Help scale culture intentionally while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy; preserve a “not too corporate” operating style. • Develop light‑weight manager enablement and training where leadership capability needs exist (feedback, performance, communication). People Analytics & Business Case Development • Use strong data analytics to create clear business cases: present options, tradeoffs, and a recommendation. • Build dashboards and metrics to show why initiatives matter, what is changing, and the measurable impact over time. • Communicate crisply and effectively to different leadership styles (concise, decision‑ready summaries when needed). Required qualifications: • 7+ years of progressive HR / People Operations experience with increasing scope and ownership. • Proven experience building HR systems, processes, and governance in a high‑growth, ambiguous environment (builder mindset). • Demonstrated capability partnering with Recruiting and leaders on workforce planning and hiring strategy. • Experience supporting multi‑country or globally distributed teams; familiarity with international employment considerations. • Strong business acumen and ability to balance business needs with employee experience and compliance requirements. • Advanced communication skills—clear, direct, and able to influence across levels and functions. • Strong analytical skills with ability to build business cases and use data to drive decisions and demonstrate impact. • High discretion and professionalism in handling sensitive information. • Ability to travel approximately 15%‑20% including international travel. Benefits • Health Insurance • 401(k) Matching • Paid Time Off (PTO) • Paid Holidays • Remote Work • Vision Insurance 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. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Junior Production Manager As a Junior Production Manager at Nova Sky Stories, you will be an onsite executor and owner of show execution. This role is responsible for delivering production plans in the field, primarily for repeatable touring productions, while supporting Senior Production Managers on larger, marquee shows. You will serve as the onsite Production Manager for touring productions, ensuring Nova’s production systems, safety standards, and execution plans are implemented accurately and consistently. This is a hands‑on, detail‑oriented role for someone who thrives in live environments and takes pride in precise, reliable execution. As a Junior Production Manager, you will be responsible for: Touring Show Execution • Serve as onsite Production Manager for repeatable touring productions. • Execute pre‑defined production plans, schedules, and logistics with consistency and precision. • Manage onsite crew coordination, callsheets, load‑in, strike, and daily show operations. Onsite Operations & Safety • Conduct site arrival checks, perimeter verification, and support airfield setup. • Coordinate onsite with security, labor, power vendors, and venue contacts. • Enforce exclusion zones, safety buffers, and show‑day safety procedures. • Support front‑of‑house (FOH) operations and show calling in coordination with Pilots in Command (PICs) and Flight Operations. Process & Documentation Discipline • Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date project documentation across Notion, Google Drive, Slack, and reporting tools. • Ensure call sheets, reports, expense tracking, and post‑show documentation are completed accurately and on time. • Provide clear, timely updates and elevate issues to Senior Production Managers as needed. Support on Marquee Productions • Assist Senior Production Managers on complex or large‑scale productions with scoped ownership of logistics, documentation, or onsite execution. • Assist with planning, vendor coordination, and onsite execution as assigned. Reporting & Continuous Improvement • Submit post‑show reports, onsite observations, and lessons learned. • Contribute feedback to improve touring systems, templates, and execution standards. Required Qualifications: • 4+ years of experience in live event production, touring, or comparable onsite production environments. • Demonstrated onsite operational experience, including logistics coordination and crew management. • Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail. • Comfortable executing within established systems, processes, and safety standards. • Willingness and ability to travel extensively and work flexible schedules, including nights, weekends, and holidays. • Valid driver’s license. What Defines You: • Highly reliable, organized, and execution‑focused. • Calm under pressure and effective in an onsite operating environment. • Clear, proactive communicator who escalates issues early and appropriately. • Team‑oriented, humble, and eager to learn. • Motivated by operational excellence, consistency, and continuous improvement. • Interested in growing into increased production ownership over time. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Test Engineer As a Test Engineer at Nova Sky Stories, you will own the design, development, and maintenance of our manual and automated testing infrastructure. You will work closely with software, hardware, and production teams to ensure that our flight‑control software, creative tools, and show‑orchestration systems meet the highest standards of reliability and performance. You will be responsible for: Testing and Infrastructure • Develop and maintain manual and automated unit tests, integration tests, and end‑to‑end test suites. • Build and optimize test pipelines to support continuous integration and delivery. • Collaborate with developers to identify, diagnose, and resolve software defects. • Design test strategies for new features and system components. • Contribute to improving internal QA processes, tooling, and best practices. • Work with C++ and Qt/QML codebases to write effective, maintainable test code. • Ensure test coverage and reliability for mission‑critical systems used in large‑scale drone show productions. Operational Collaboration • Collaborate with software engineers, designers, and drone operators to understand feature behavior and translate it into effective test strategies. • Investigate issues, reproduce complex edge cases, and provide detailed feedback to help engineers maintain the highest level of software reliability. Requirements: • Strong experience in C++ development. • Hands‑on experience with automated testing (unit, integration, CI pipelines). • Ability to design clear, reliable test cases and frameworks. • Familiarity with modern development workflows (Git, CI/CD, code review culture). • Experience with Qt/QML, especially for UI‑driven testing. • Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail. • Ability to communicate fluently in German and English. It’s a plus if you have: • Knowledge of testing embedded, real‑time, or robotics systems. • Experience in the entertainment tech, UAV, or simulation domains. Why you’ll love working with us: • Be part of something innovative: Work on projects that combine cutting‑edge technology and creativity to deliver one‑of‑a‑kind visual experiences. • Creative freedom: Have the autonomy to take on challenges, propose solutions, and see your ideas implemented in real‑world applications. • Direct impact: Your work will have a real and visible influence on the execution of massive, high‑profile visual events across the globe. • Supportive environment: We’re a fun, forward‑thinking team that loves solving big problems and working together to create something magical. • Exciting perks: Competitive salary, flexible hours, and front‑row access to the incredible visual experiences you help bring to life. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Senior Production Manager As a Senior Production Manager, you are a show owner, accountable for the end‑to‑end success of Nova’s most complex, high‑profile, and non‑repeatable productions — including marquee global events and brand activations. This role owns productions from early concept development and client alignment through final delivery and closeout, serving as Nova’s primary production authority across creative, operational, logistical, financial, and client‑facing dimensions. As a Senior Production Manager, you will be responsible for: Production Ownership (Marquee & Ticketed Shows) • Own end‑to‑end delivery of productions ranging from complex marquee shows to high‑volume, repeatable ticketed experiences, from concept through closeout. • Serve as Nova’s primary production counterpart to clients, venues, promoters, and partners. • Establish clear scope, expectations, schedules, and success criteria with senior stakeholders while balancing scale, efficiency, and quality across multiple concurrent shows. Budget & Commercial Accountability • Build, manage, and close production budgets across both large‑scale marquee events and high‑frequency ticketed productions. • Track estimates vs. actuals and ensure cost control, financial accuracy, and margin discipline at both show and portfolio levels. • Partner with Finance and leadership on approvals, reconciliations, and post‑show financial reporting. Creative & Technical Leadership • Partner with Creative, Design, Flight Operations, and Engineering to translate creative intent into executable production plans that can scale across multiple shows. • Lead production trade‑off decisions balancing creative ambition, safety, cost, schedule, and repeatability. • Oversee technical integration of drone choreography with audio, lighting, staging, broadcast, and experiential elements. Logistics, Risk & Compliance • Coordinate with Nova and client logistics teams on international and domestic logistics, including shipping, customs, power, labor, and vendor coordination — often across multiple shows simultaneously. • Lead risk planning and contingency strategies for weather, airspace, regulatory constraints, safety, and site complexity. • Ensure compliance with aviation regulations, permitting requirements, and Nova safety standards across all productions. Team Leadership & Oversight • Direct Junior Production Managers and onsite teams across both marquee and ticketed productions. • Serve as escalation point for touring and Fever productions as needed. • Lead internal and external production planning meetings (PPMs), kick‑offs, and debriefs. Reporting & Continuous Improvement • Own post‑show reporting, lessons learned, and after‑action reviews for both one‑off and recurring shows. • Ensure production data, documentation, and reporting are completed accurately and on time. • Contribute to the evolution of Nova’s production systems, standards, and global best practices — particularly around scalability and repeatable show models. Required Qualifications: • 8+ years of experience in large‑scale event production, live entertainment, or experiential production. • Proven ability to deliver complex, non‑repeatable, client‑facing productions from concept through close. • Demonstrated experience managing senior creative and brand stakeholders. • Strong operational expertise across logistics, permitting, vendor management, and onsite execution. • Advanced production budgeting and financial management experience. • Comfortable operating in high‑pressure, high‑visibility environments. • Ability to travel extensively (domestic and international) and work flexible schedules. • Valid international driver’s license. What defines you: • A calm, decisive leader who thrives in complexity. • Equally fluent in creative, technical, and operational conversations. • Highly organized, systems‑minded, and accountable. • Collaborative, clear communicator with strong client presence. • Willingness to roll up your sleeves while maintaining strategic oversight. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands