Costume Shop Foreman

Job Location

Houston Grand Opera - Houston, TX 77002

Manages the daily operations of the costume shop, overseeing costume construction, alterations, labor coordination, equipment maintenance, inventory organization, and workplace safety. Ensures costume builds are completed on schedule, within budget, and to the artistic and technical standards of the production.

We are looking for talented, passionate, and dedicated people who are eager to make contributions to our community 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.

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 believe every 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.

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

• Comprehensive and affordable health benefits.
• Generous paid time off.
• 403b retirement plan with employer match.
• Flexible work schedule.
• 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.

• 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.

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…