Technical Director, Live Events

Scalis LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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']},{

Job summary

Nova Sky Stories seeks a Technical Director, Live Events to lead the technical development, integration, and delivery of productions combining live performance, drones, visual media, and practical effects.

You will shape concepts from feasibility through design, fabrication, testing, rehearsals, and opening, coordinating across teams to ensure safe, reliable shows and seamless tours.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in live entertainment tech, incl. 3+ years in technical direction or leadership.
• Broad knowledge of live show systems and their integration.
• Ability to read technical drawings and coordinate designers, engineers, vendors, and leads.
• Experience delivering outdoor or touring productions with temporary infrastructure.
• Strong planning, scope development, and cost evaluation skills.
• Clear communication and collaborative leadership with cross‑functional teams.
• Willingness to travel and work variable hours during testing, installation, rehearsals, and opening.

Responsibilities

• Translate creative ambition into technical solutions.
• Bring every technical element together.
• Guide vendors from scope through installation.
• Build for life on tour.
• Drive testing and technical readiness.
• Embed safety into technical delivery.
• Keep technical plans aligned with production needs.
• Set receiving teams up for success.

Skills

Technical leadership

Live show systems

Safety & compliance

Project planning

Vendor coordination

Education

Technical theatre or engineering degree

Job description

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 the job

About this role:

Help turn ambitious creative ideas into extraordinary live experiences. As Technical Director, Live Events on Nova’s Experiences team, you will lead the technical development, integration, and delivery of productions that bring together live performance, drones, visual media, and practical effects.

Working closely with the Executive Creative Director, Producer, and Show Operations, you will shape how creative concepts come to life—from early feasibility and technical design through fabrication, testing, rehearsals, and opening. You will connect the people, systems, and disciplines behind each production, ensuring every element works together to deliver safe, reliable, and compelling shows.

This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, brings sound judgment to ambitious projects, and builds solutions that succeed on opening night and throughout a production’s touring life.

As a Technical Director, you’ll be responsible for:

• Translate creative ambition into technical solutions.
• Bring every technical element together.
• Guide vendors from scope through installation.
• Build for life on tour.
• Drive testing and technical readiness.
• Embed safety into technical delivery.
• Keep technical plans aligned with production needs.
• Set receiving teams up for success.

You’ll need to have:

• 8+ years of technical experience in live entertainment, including at least 3 years in technical direction or a comparable technical leadership role, with demonstrated success delivering complex productions from development through installation, rehearsals, and opening.
• Broad knowledge of live show systems and their integration, including staging, lighting, audio, video, show control, and effects.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and specifications and coordinate designers, engineers, vendors, and department leads.
• Experience delivering outdoor or touring productions, including temporary infrastructure, repeatable installation, equipment reliability, and venue constraints.
• Strong technical planning, scope development, and cost evaluation skills, with the ability to anticipate dependencies, assess risks, and resolve integration challenges.
• Clear communication and collaborative leadership skills, including the ability to explain technical decisions to creative and production colleagues and coordinate specialist safety and compliance input.
• Relevant education in technical theatre, engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience, with availability to travel and work variable hours during testing, installation, rehearsals, and opening.

It’s a plus if you have:

Experience integrating drones, automation, practical effects, or synchronized visual media into live productions.

Experience developing new productions or entertainment formats where technical approaches evolve alongside the creative concept.

Experience working across international venues, suppliers, and production teams.

A resourceful, practical approach to balancing creative ambition, operational needs, and delivery timelines.

A calm, collaborative leadership style and a willingness to work through detailed technical challenges alongside the team.
Salary Range: $140,000 to 160,000 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.