Theme Park Controls Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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:

Nova Sky Stories is seeking an EVP, Global Theme Parks & Attractions to build and lead our global theme park and destination entertainment business. This executive will define the strategy for the vertical, establish the operating model, develop relationships with the world’s leading operators and developers, and position Nova as a long‑term creative and technology partner for world‑class attractions.

This role will expand Nova’s presence across theme parks, resorts, destination attractions, integrated entertainment districts, and location‑based experiences. The EVP will identify opportunities where drone entertainment can enhance the guest experience, extend intellectual property, support seasonal programming, and create new reasons for audiences to visit and return.

Working closely with Nova’s leadership team, this leader will own the vertical’s commercial strategy and guide opportunities from initial relationship development through negotiation, delivery, and long‑term account growth. They will partner across Creative, Production, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs to ensure opportunities are creatively compelling, commercially viable, and operationally scalable.

This is a highly entrepreneurial executive role that requires both strategic vision and hands‑on execution. In the early stages, success will come from personally opening doors, developing opportunities, building industry relationships, and creating repeatable processes before scaling a team around the business.

As an EVP, Global Touring & Live Experiences, you’ll be responsible for:

Theme Park Business Strategy

• Define and execute Nova’s global strategy across theme parks, resorts, destination attractions, entertainment districts, and other location‑based experiences.
• Build a long‑term business plan for the vertical, including revenue targets, market priorities, investment needs, organizational structure, and growth opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for permanent installations, seasonal programming, nighttime spectaculars, special events, intellectual property‑based experiences, and recurring entertainment.
• Evaluate new markets, customer segments, and business models that create sustainable, recurring revenue.
• Position Nova as a strategic entertainment partner capable of supporting both individual experiences and long‑term destination programming.

Industry Relationships and Partnerships

• Build and maintain executive‑level relationships with leading theme park operators, resort groups, destination developers, attraction owners, creative agencies, intellectual property holders, and industry partners.
• Develop a deep understanding of each partner’s guest experience goals, creative priorities, operational needs, and investment cycles.
• Source, negotiate, and close transformative partnerships that expand Nova’s global footprint and long‑term revenue pipeline.
• Establish strategic alliances that strengthen Nova’s capabilities, geographic reach, and access to new opportunities.
• Represent Nova at major industry conferences, trade events, executive meetings, and customer engagements worldwide.

Commercial and Financial Leadership

• Own the commercial performance and long‑term growth of Nova’s theme park and attractions vertical.
• Lead complex opportunities from initial engagement and concept development through commercial negotiation, contract execution, and account expansion.
• Structure partnerships that account for creative development, production requirements, technology integration, operational support, licensing, and recurring revenue.
• Develop financial models, investment cases, and strategic recommendations that support executive decision‑making.
• Establish disciplined forecasting, pipeline management, account planning, and performance reporting.
• Partner with Finance and Legal to negotiate agreements that balance customer needs, operational feasibility, risk, and Nova’s long‑term objectives.

Cross‑Functional Execution

• Translate customer objectives into clear opportunities for Nova’s Creative, Production, Operations, Engineering, and Regulatory teams.
• Partner with internal leaders to evaluate feasibility, delivery timelines, permitting requirements, production capacity, and financial considerations.
• Ensure commercial commitments align with Nova’s capabilities and can be delivered successfully at scale.
• Maintain executive‑level customer relationships throughout the project lifecycle, supporting successful delivery and long‑term account growth.
• Use customer and market insights to influence Nova’s creative offerings, technology roadmap, and operational strategy.

Executive and Organizational Leadership

• Serve as Nova’s executive leader and internal subject matter expert for the global theme park and attractions industry.
• Advise the CEO, CFO, and executive leadership team on market opportunities, strategic partnerships, competitive positioning, and industry trends.
• Build the operating model, processes, resources, and organizational capabilities required to scale the vertical globally.
• Recruit, lead, and develop a high‑performing team as the business grows.
• Establish clear goals and accountability across commercial performance, customer relationships, and strategic growth.
• Contribute to Nova’s broader global strategy and help shape the company’s position within the future of location‑based entertainment.

You’ll need to have:

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in business development, commercial leadership, development, partnerships, or strategy within the theme park, attractions, resort, or location‑based entertainment industry.
• Significant executive‑level experience building or leading a business, commercial function, market, or industry vertical.
• Established relationships with senior leaders at theme park operators, attraction developers, resort groups, creative agencies, intellectual property holders, and other influential industry partners.
• Demonstrated success developing, negotiating, and closing complex, high‑value, long‑term commercial partnerships.
• Strong understanding of theme park development cycles, guest experience strategy, creative development, capital planning, and operational requirements.
• Experience creating business plans, commercial models, revenue forecasts, and investment recommendations.
• Proven ability to work across creative, technical, operational, financial, and legal teams to bring large‑scale entertainment projects to life.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship‑building skills.
• Experience advising executive teams and influencing major strategic and investment decisions.
• Ability to operate effectively in an entrepreneurial environment where strategic leadership and hands‑on execution are equally important.
• Willingness to travel globally based on business and customer needs.

It’s a plus if you have:

• Experience developing nighttime entertainment, spectaculars, parades, live shows, multimedia experiences, or technology‑enabled attractions.
• Experience working with major entertainment intellectual property and navigating licensing or rights‑holder relationships.
• Experience establishing permanent installations, recurring programming, or multi‑year entertainment agreements.
• Background in international market expansion and global commercial partnerships.
• Previous ownership of a business unit, revenue target, or P&L.
• Familiarity with aviation, robotics, drones, or other emerging entertainment technologies.
• Experience working in a founder‑led or rapidly scaling organization.
• MBA or advanced business degree.
• Passion for creating innovative experiences that bring people together and redefine what is possible in live entertainment.

Salary Range: $325,000–$500,000 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.

Health Insurance

401(k) Matching

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid Holidays

Flexible Work Arrangements

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.