SVP, Operations

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 centres, 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.

The SVP, Operations will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping how Nova Sky Stories scales globally. This rare opportunity leads the operational engine behind some of the world’s most ambitious drone light experiences—combining aviation precision, live‑event execution, cutting‑edge technology, and creative storytelling at massive scale. Reporting directly to the CFO, this leader will oversee Production, Flight Operations and Logistics worldwide, ensuring teams across the company operate in sync to deliver extraordinary experiences safely, efficiently and flawlessly.

Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute an integrated global operations strategy spanning Production, Logistics and Flight Operations, aligned with Nova’s rapid growth trajectory and long‑term vision.
• Own the operational P&L across these functions, including budget development, forecasting, resource planning and margin accountability.
• Establish and continuously elevate operational standards, systems and safety frameworks that allow Nova to scale rapidly across new markets, show formats and global productions.
• Serve as a key executive leader contributing to company‑wide strategy, international expansion, operational scalability and capability development.
• Build a culture of accountability, innovation, speed and continuous improvement across globally distributed operational teams.
• Help shape what world‑class operational excellence looks like within an emerging entertainment category.

Production Oversight

• Lead the global Production organisation, ensuring high‑quality, on‑time and on‑budget delivery across all show types— from touring productions and residencies to large‑scale marquee events.
• Build scalable production frameworks, operational playbooks and resourcing models that support Nova’s continued global expansion.
• Partner closely with Creative, Engineering, Flight Operations and Commercial teams to ensure operational capabilities align with ambitious creative vision and client expectations.
• Own financial governance, production forecasting and operational accountability across the company’s growing production portfolio.
• Maintain executive oversight of high‑profile productions, key stakeholder relationships and escalated operational matters.
• Continuously improve production systems, workflows and execution standards to increase efficiency, scalability and show quality globally.

Flight Operations Oversight

• Scale and support Nova’s global Flight Operations organisation through leadership of the Director, Global Flight Operations, ensuring safe, compliant and consistent execution across all operating regions.
• Champion a proactive, deeply embedded safety culture that remains non‑negotiable as the company scales.
• Ensure operational readiness across equipment, certifications, deployment systems, field execution standards and operational infrastructure globally.
• Partner with Engineering and technical teams to help integrate new technologies, automation and deployment innovations that keep Nova at the forefront of the industry.
• Support the evolution of operational systems capable of scaling alongside increasingly complex global deployments and productions.

Cross‑Functional Integration

• Serve as the connective tissue across Production, Logistics and Flight Operations, ensuring seamless collaboration and alignment throughout the full show lifecycle.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Creative, Legal and Commercial teams to translate company strategy into scalable operational execution.
• Represent Nova in regulatory discussions, strategic partner conversations, industry forums and key operational relationships globally.
• Lead post‑show review processes and operational retrospectives, driving systematic improvements across teams, workflows and execution standards.
• Bring clarity, alignment and operational rigor to highly dynamic, fast‑moving environments where priorities can shift quickly.

Team Development & Organisation

• Recruit, develop and retain exceptional operational leaders and team members across Production, Flight Operations and Logistics globally.
• Build the organisational structures, leadership layers and development frameworks required to scale operations alongside company growth.
• Coach and mentor senior operational leaders, helping develop the next generation of leadership at Nova.
• Foster a collaborative, high‑performance culture that balances accountability, creativity, operational discipline and innovation.
• Help build an organisation that can scale globally without losing agility, speed or execution quality.

You’ll Need To Have

• 15+ years of progressive operational leadership experience, including senior roles spanning event production or equivalent complex field operations.
• Demonstrated success leading multi‑functional operations teams in fast‑paced, high‑growth environments.
• Deep knowledge of live‑event or entertainment production at scale, including client‑facing and multi‑market operations.
• Proven ability to build and scale organisational systems, SOPs and operational frameworks across distributed teams.
• Executive‑level financial acumen, including ownership of multi‑million‐dollar budgets and operational P&Ls.
• Exceptional leadership presence—able to inspire teams, build trust across functions and represent Nova with clients, partners and regulators.
• Willingness to travel frequently, both domestically and internationally, and be present at live show operations.

It’s a Plus If You Have

• Direct experience in drone light shows, aerial entertainment or UAS operations.
• Background spanning both technical/aviation and creative/entertainment disciplines.
• Experience leading operations through a period of significant company scaling or international expansion.

What Will Make You Successful

• You lead through clarity and calm, making sharp decisions under pressure while keeping teams aligned and motivated.
• You hold both the strategic view and the operational detail simultaneously, knowing when to zoom out and when to get in the weeds.
• You build systems that scale, not just for today’s show, but for the company Nova is becoming.
• You’re equally at home in a boardroom, on a flight‑operations debrief or on‑site at a marquee event.
• You bring genuine passion for aviation, live experiences and the kind of work that stops people in their tracks.

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.