Global Payroll Manager

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

About this role:

As Global Payroll Manager at Nova Sky Stories, you will own and help scale payroll operations across our rapidly growing global organization. With teams operating across the U.S. and international markets, this role is an opportunity to build the processes, systems, and controls that support an increasingly complex global workforce.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring payroll is accurate, timely, and compliant while partnering closely with Finance, HR, Accounting, and external payroll providers. Beyond managing day-to-day payroll operations, you’ll play an important role in launching payroll in new countries and entities, strengthening global processes, improving systems and controls, and creating consistency as Nova continues to grow.

This role is ideal for someone who is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves to solve a payroll issue and stepping back to build a better process for the future . We’re looking for a hands-on payroll leader who thrives in a fast-moving environment, enjoys navigating complexity, and is excited by the opportunity to help build a truly global payroll function.

As a Global Payroll Manager, you’ll be responsible for: 

Payroll Processing & Oversight - 40%

• Partner with Human Resources and Finance teams to maintain accurate employee timekeeping and payroll data.
• Own and oversee full-cycle payroll operations across multiple countries and legal entities, ensuring accurate and timely processing across 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.
• Support payroll processing for both employees and independent contractors across domestic and international jurisdictions.
• Partner closely with Accounting and Finance to support payroll-related audits, reconciliations, and reporting requirements.

Global Entity Setup & Payroll Onboarding - 20%

• 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.
• Provide payroll and labor allocation data to support intercompany accounting, transfer pricing, and other global finance requirements.

Compliance & Reporting - 20%

• Ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, local, and international labor regulations.
• Maintain strong knowledge of local payroll requirements and compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions.
• 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.
• Partner with Accounting and external advisors to support payroll compliance and reporting accuracy globally.

Employee Support, Process Improvement & Accounting Support – 20%

• Serve as the primary point of contact for payroll related questions from employees across the organization, partnering with HR and Finance to resolve discrepancies and employee concerns in a timely manner.
• Provide guidance to internal teams on payroll timelines, approvals, processes, and best practices.
• Standardize payroll processes across multiple countries and operating locations to drive consistency, accuracy, and efficiency.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve payroll workflows, internal controls, and reporting.
• Support payroll system upgrades, integrations, and other 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 SOPs and internal documentation to ensure consistent processes across the organization.
• Support ad hoc accounting and finance projects as needed, including reconciliations, reporting, data analysis, and other cross functional initiatives.

You’ll need to have: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 6+ years of progressive payroll experience, including ownership of multi-state U.S. payroll and experience supporting complex payroll operations.
• Demonstrated international payroll experience , including working across multiple countries, legal entities, currencies, and payroll providers.
• Experience managing payroll through major payroll, HRIS, or workforce management platforms; ability to quickly learn and navigate new systems.
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting, reconciliations, general ledger integration, payroll taxes, and internal controls.
• Experience supporting new entity or jurisdiction payroll implementations strongly preferred.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or equivalent payroll certification preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Google Sheets or Excel, including PivotTables, lookups, and payroll data analysis.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple payroll cycles, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to partner effectively across Finance, HR, Accounting, employees, and external providers.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive employee and payroll information.

Salary Range: $100,000–140,000 USD

At Nova Sky Stories, we're building something that has never existed before—and we want our team members to share in that journey. In addition to competitive compensation, we offer:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company matching
• Flexible PTO and paid sick leave
• Paid parental leave
• Company-paid holidays
• Equity opportunities for eligible employees

Compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location.

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.