Manager, Costume Shop

New York, NY
Full Time
Experienced
JOB DETAILS
Job Title:                    Manager, Costume Shop
Reports To:                Senior Director, Wardrobe
Working Hours:         Normal office hours are 09:00 to 18:00
Place of Work:           NYC HQ, 34-01 38th Avenue, Suite 302 – New York, NY 11101
Other:                         Full Time, Resident (5x days/week in NYC HQ)


ABOUT RWS GLOBAL
As the world’s largest producer of groundbreaking live entertainment, RWS Global creates meaningful connections and customized experiences spanning from theatrical productions to events, multimedia and more. In 2024, the entertainment leaders expanded capabilities into live sporting events with the introduction of RWS Global Sports.
 
Headquartered in New York, London, Cincinnati and Sydney with dedicated RWS Studios in NYC and the UK to serve its vast talent pipeline and client base, RWS Global serves major brands and corporations, theatres, cruise lines, sports properties, live venues, parks, resorts and more. Offering end-to-end services from ideation to operations, RWS Global’s team of world-class designers, creators, producers and visionary talent provide unrivaled scale, producing over one million live moments every day and employing over 8,000 individuals worldwide. 
 
The RWS Global roster of clients includes Apple, Azamara, The Coca-Cola Company, Commonwealth Games, Crayola, Europa-Park Resort, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS™ Experience by Original X Productions, Hard Rock Resorts, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Holland America Line, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, International Cricket Council, Invictus Games, Lionsgate, Marella Cruises, MSC Cruises, Roompot, Rugby World Cup, Six Flags, Space Center Houston, TUI Group, Vera Wang, Warner Bros., Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, Chicago the Musical, Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes and more. For more information, visit rwsglobal.com.

JOB SUMMARY
Reporting to the Senior Director of Wardrobe, the Costume Shop Manager is responsible for overseeing all in-house costume production, including the supervision of full-time and over-hire stitchers. Working collaboratively with Managers, this position helps plan labor needs and logistics, ensuring proper staffing for both in-house and on-site costume projects. Additionally, the Costume Shop Manager works closely with the Senior Director and Senior Manager to plan for the long-term operational needs of the department and its facilities.

KEY TASKS
Role & Responsibilities:
  • Train and coach new hires to work within RWS standards and expectations.
  • Provide leadership and management to the Costume Shop full time staff and seasonal employees.
  • Manage all Costume Shop facilities, equipment, and resources.
  • Manage the construction, alteration, repair, purchase, cleaning/maintenance and storage of costumes, wigs.
  • Ensure all notes are complete and deadlines met - working with the Wardrobe Managers and Lead Stitchers for each project.
  • Quality Control all work coming in and out of the shop.
  • Create production schedules for the Costume Shop
  • Provide inventory updates and recommendations for restocking needs for Wardrobe Supplies in office and onboard ships or on-site.
  • Attend fittings for productions led by Wardrobe Managers to record notes and tag costumes, as needed.
  • Attend Costume Runs to assist Wardrobe Managers in recording and tagging notes, as needed.
  • Assist Wardrobe Managers with costume pack outs, and additional shipping and logistics as needed.
  • Facilitate cleaning and restocking returning costumes.
  • Drape and/or build costumes for projects, as needed.
  • Hire seasonal labor for both in-office stitching needs, as well as onsite.
  • Conduct Lead stitcher and Wardrobe lead trainings for on board staff.
  • Draft and submit hiring addendums to aide in creation of Legal Contracts.
  • Submission and accounting for stitcher payroll.
  • Maintain stock, storage and costume facilities.
  • Update and maintain organizational systems and paperwork for the department.
  • Participate in department meetings, support team in scheduling meetings and creating meeting agendas.
  • Support department in keeping workspace clean and organized, work with team to facilitate updates to office, shop and storage space as needed.
  • Ensure that all documentation and information relating to account costume data as reference for future production and documentation purposes is properly stored on Box.
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with vendors, coworkers and clients.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and teams at a given time.
  • Collaboration and teamwork a high priority.
  • Performed all other duties as assigned to support RWS Global’s mission to Raise the Experience.
  • Maintain regular and punctual attendance
  • Additional administrative, organization, and maintenance duties as needed.

Please Note: While this is intended to be an accurate description of the job, this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the position, and may require that other or different tasks be performed as necessary and assigned.
Qualifications
  • Minimum BFA/BA degree in Theatrical Design or Technology or comparable work experience working in a theatre or entertainment production company wardrobe or costume shop.
  • 5+ years of experience in the entertainment and live event production industry.
  • Proficiency in MS Office applications. Knowledge of Worksuite, Wrike, Excel a plus.
  • Ability to meet deadlines, often with narrow time and budget constraints.
  • Advanced knowledge of hand and machine sewing techniques. Garment finishing with an understanding of theatrical costume construction techniques and terms.
  • Experience training or teaching costume construction or fittings and alterations preferred.
  • Experience in theme park and cruise ship wardrobe genres preferred.
  • Craft skills, mask making, dyeing, paint, millinery, and shoe maintenance knowledge.
  • Cultural fluency in style and maintenance needs across diverse hair and wig types
  • Extremely detail oriented and responsible.
  • Strong team player.
  • Ability to meet deadlines, sometimes with narrow time and budget constraints
  • A valid passport for the duration of employment for all travel-related roles.
Company Benefits
  • Competitive Salary
  • Flexible working schedule, depending on position
  • Company 401K
  • Health Benefits – Medical, Dental, and Vision
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Citi Bike Membership
  • Commuter Benefits
  • Exercise Passes
  • Summer Fridays
  • Cafeteria Plan
  • Pet Friendly

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT: 

DIVERSE IS WHO WE ARE
Way more than a box to check, diversity is core to RWS Global culture. We value it, promote it, protect it and hire it. All differences are welcome here. We know for a fact that each employee’s individual background, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, and capabilities are a contribution to our culture, as well as our reputation and achievements.
So, bring all of who you are, no questions asked.
 
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