Costume Shop Foreman

National Opera Center; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

403b retirement plan

Professional development fund

Parking discount

Free tickets to productions

Job summary

Houston Grand Opera in Houston seeks a seasoned Costume Shop Supervisor to lead daily operations, manage staff, and ensure production quality across all costumes. The role requires strong leadership, meticulous organization, and hands-on knowledge of construction, fittings, and safety procedures.

You will oversee budgets, schedule fittings, mentor apprentices, and coordinate with designers and production teams to deliver costumes on time and within scope during peak productions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Costume Technology, Theatre Production, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 3–5 years of professional costume shop experience, including supervisory responsibilities.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Oversees daily operations and labor of the costume shop.
• Acts as Safety Coordinator for the Costume Shop and ensures compliance with OSHA standards.
• Oversees costume shop staff, freelance crew, and artisans during all phases of production.
• Tracks fabrics, trims, notions, stock supplies, and shop materials as approved within production budgets.
• Maintains organization and inventory of fabrics, notions, supplies, tools, and costume stock.
• Manages costume shop equipment and coordinates maintenance and repairs of all shop machinery and tools.
• Assist with the coordination of workflow and production priorities to meet fitting and production deadlines.
• Assist with staff with any HR documentation or time sheets, PTO, etc.
• Tracks costume fittings, alterations, and notes implementation.
• Maintains costume build records, shop paperwork, and production tracking.
• Coordinates shop safety training and safe use of equipment and materials.
• Assists with load-ins, load-outs, packing, and transportation preparation as needed.
• Works cooperatively with wardrobe, wigs/makeup, stage management, and other production departments.
• Assists the Associate Costume director in training and mentoring drapers, stitchers, apprentices, and interns.
• Oversees dyeing, crafts, millinery, or specialty costume techniques as applicable.
• Maintains shop calendars and daily work schedules.
• Implement quality-control procedures for all costume builds and alterations.
• Maintains OSHA compliance documentation and incident reporting.
• Maintains the fabric stock organization at the warehouse.
• Coordinates warehouse operations and costume inventory management in conjunction with the Costume Coordinators.
• Works closely with the Costume Director and Production Manager regarding safety protocols.

Skills

Costume construction

Tailoring

Draping

Patterning

Alterations

Leadership

Communication

Time management

Safety procedures

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Costume Technology, Theatre Production, or equivalent

Job description

Join Us!

We are looking for talented, passionate, and dedicated people who are eager to make contributions to ourcommunity and our mission. If you are excited about this position but your experience does not align perfectly, we encourage you to apply!You may bejustthe right candidate for this position or another role at HGO.

About the Houston Grand Opera

The mission of HGO is to enrich our diverse community through the art of opera.We do so by creating, curating, exploring, and producing outstanding experiences centered around the human voice. HGO has received a Tony Award, three Grammy Awards, and three Emmy Awards – we are the only opera company in the world to win all three honors.

Our strategic focus is two-fold: creating profoundly enriching experiences for our diverse audiences and clearly defining and positively promoting the HGO brand. We believeevery team member enriches our organization by exposing a broad range of ways to understand and engage our community and discover, design, and deliver enriching experiences.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer robust benefits to full-time employees, including:

• Comprehensive and affordable health benefits.
• Generous paid time off.
• 403b retirement plan with employer match.
• Professional development fund and opportunities.
• Discounted parking in the Theater District garage and nearby lots, pluseasy access to Metro transportation.
• Free tickets to our mainstage and community productions and events.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversees daily operations and labor of the costume shop.
• Acts as Safety Coordinator for the Costume Shop and ensures compliance with all workplace safety standards and procedures.
• Oversees costume shop staff, freelance crew, and artisans during all phases of production.
• Tracks fabrics, trims, notions, stock supplies, and shop materials as approved within production budgets.
• Maintains organization and inventory of fabrics, notions, supplies, tools, and costume stock.
• Manages costume shop equipment and coordinates maintenance and repairs of all shop machinery and tools.
• Assist with the coordination of workflow and production priorities to meet fitting and production deadlines.
• Participate in hiring costume shop crew in conjunction with the Costume Director and Associate Costume Director.
• Assist with staff with any HR documentation or time sheets, PTO, etc.
• Tracks costume fittings, alterations, and notes implementation.
• Maintains costume build records, shop paperwork, and production tracking.
• Coordinates shop safety training and safe use of equipment and materials.
• Assists with load-ins, load-outs, packing, and transportation preparation as needed.
• Works cooperatively with wardrobe, wigs/makeup, stage management, and other production departments.
• Assists the Associate Costume director in training and mentoring drapers, stitchers, apprentices, and interns.
• Oversees dyeing, crafts, millinery, or specialty costume techniques as applicable.
• Maintains shop calendars and daily work schedules.
• Implement quality-control procedures for all costume builds and alterations.
• Maintains OSHA compliance documentation and incident reporting.
• Maintains the fabric stock organization at the warehouse.
• Coordinates warehouse operations and costume inventory management in conjunction with the Costume Coordinators.
• Works closely with the Costume Director and Production Manager regarding safety protocols.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Costume Technology, Theatre Production, or equivalent professional experience. Minimum 3–5 years of professional costume shop experience, including supervisory responsibilities. Advanced knowledge of costume construction, tailoring, draping, patterning, alterations, and fitting techniques. Demonstrated ability to supervise and organize costume shop labor and production workflows. Experience estimating labor hours, materials, and construction timelines for productions. Strong knowledge of costume shop equipment, maintenance, and safe operating procedures. Experience purchasing fabrics, notions, and costume shop supplies within budget guidelines. Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines. Ability to interpret costume renderings and collaborate effectively with costume designers and production staff. Working knowledge of theatrical safety practices and OSHA standards. Strong communication and leadership skills. Ability to work extended and flexible hours during production periods.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in opera or repertory costume production environments. Specialized skills in crafts, dyeing, millinery, or period construction techniques. Experience training apprentices, interns, or overhire stitchers.

Special Characteristics

Operating and basic repair knowledge of sewing machines and other applicable machinery and devices required. Knowledge of costume alterations and costume construction. Knowledge of fabric characteristics, dyeing, distressing, fitting, costume rigging, patterning and draping.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those we considerimportantfor an employeeto successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 20 pounds), reaching for items, effectivecommunication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending performances, events, and meetings.Reasonable accommodations maybe madeto enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Desired Start Date

September 10, 2026

BENEFITS

Pay Range

$55,000 - $60,000 Annual