Senior Payroll Specialist

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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: @Nova Sky Stories

As a Senior Payroll Specialist at Nova Sky Stories, you will play a critical role in supporting payroll operations for a rapidly growing global organization. You will partner closely with Finance, HR, and external vendors to ensure payroll is processed accurately, compliantly, and on time across multiple regions. This role will also help drive process improvements, support employees with payroll‑related inquiries, and contribute to building scalable payroll systems as Nova continues to expand.

Payroll Processing & Oversight

• 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 Gusto 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 Gusto or related systems (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 with holdings 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.

Qualifications

• Bache…