About The Role 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.
Role overview 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.
How to apply
Applicants should apply in writing to the HR Department, Scottish Opera, 39 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow G2 4PT or email. All applications should include a covering letter, CV and a completed Equality Monitoring Form. All candidates must be able to demonstrate a pre-existing right to work in the UK and documentary proof of this will be requested at interview.
Closing date for applications is Monday 23 February 2026, 5pm.
Download Job Description and Equality Monitoring Form as applicable.
Diversity and equality
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 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 under-represented in the performing arts and at Scottish Opera, including those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and disabled people. We strive for an inclusive and accessible working environment for those with caring responsibilities. This diversity of thought paired with a culture of inclusion is vital for us to create work that is for everyone.
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