Head of Costume

Location: Glasgow (with travel across Scotland and the UK)

Salary: Circa £45,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 39 hours per week (management role; flexibility required including evenings and weekends)

Closing date for applications: Monday 23 February 2026, 5pm

Scottish Opera is Scotland’s national opera company.  We take world-class opera to all corners of Scotland, ensuring that as many people as possible can enjoy this wonderful art form.  

Scottish Opera is seeking an experienced and inspiring Head of Costume to lead all aspects of costume delivery across our productions and commercial activities.

This is a senior, hands-on management role, overseeing the smooth running of our costume workroom, performance wardrobe, wigs and make-up, and costume hire operations. You will play a key role in delivering world-class productions while managing people, budgets, schedules and creative collaborations.

About the role

The Head of Costume is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day management of the Costume Department, working across Scottish Opera productions of all scales, external work for theatre, film and TV, specialist costume services, and our costume rental operation.

You will lead a diverse team of permanent, contract and freelance staff, supported by a Deputy Head of Costume, and work closely with designers, directors, stage management, technical departments, and external suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

Department Leadership & Management

• Line manage Costume Department staff, providing leadership, support and development
• Plan and allocate workload for in-house staff and external makers
• Maintain high standards across the workroom, running wardrobe, wigs and make-up
• Ensure robust health & safety practices, risk assessments and equipment maintenance
• Act as a key point of contact for internal and external stakeholders

Production Delivery

• Meet with designers to plan and realise costume concepts
• Support Costume Supervisors to ensure productions are delivered on time and on budget
• Prepare and manage production budgets, including labour and materials
• Schedule fittings, rehearsals and overtime in line with production needs
• Liaise closely with stage management and other technical departments
• Attend rehearsals and oversee final delivery, including production costume bibles

Budgeting & Buying

• Source and purchase fabrics, garments and accessories
• Place orders for productions and stock, maintaining accurate records
• Travel to meet designers, makers and suppliers as required
• Maintain organised storage of samples and materials

Staffing, Recruitment & Development

• Manage timesheets, holiday records and staff administration
• Recruit permanent, contract and casual staff in partnership with People & Culture
• Maintain a pool of skilled freelance and temporary staff
• Support work experience placements and trainee recruitment
• Act as a mentor to trainees, sharing costume administration expertise

General Duties

• Attend departmental scheduling and planning meetings
• Support marketing, press, photo shoots and filming activity
• Host visits from students and industry groups
• Manage departmental communications and administration
  
  

About you

You will be an accomplished costume professional with strong leadership and organisational skills, comfortable balancing creative collaboration with detailed planning and budget management. You’ll bring experience of managing teams, delivering productions to schedule, and working across a range of live performance environments.

Experience within opera or large-scale theatre is desirable, as is a collaborative, calm and solutions-focused approach.

At Scottish Opera, our mission is to speak powerfully through all our work in order to entertain, inspire, surprise, challenge and delight audiences throughout Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally. We know that having a diverse workforce is essential if we are going to deliver our mission.

We are committed to promoting equality and ensuring that no one is denied opportunities or discriminated against through prejudice or exclusion due to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We particularly encourage applications from people that are under-represented in the Performing Arts and at Scottish Opera including those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and disabled people. We have supportive working practices and work towards providing wherever possible a working environment that is inclusive and accessible for those with caring responsibilities.

This diversity of thought paired with a culture of inclusion is vital for us to continue to create work that is for everyone. This makes Scottish Opera a great place to work, where people are valued for who they are.

We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and equally.

Scottish Opera strives to be an equal opportunities employer and is subsidised by the Scottish Government.  Registered Number SC037531. Scottish Charity Number SC019787.