Senior Cutter - Men's Tailoring

This is a senior role within the technical department, working closely with our Head of Costume you will collaborate with Costume Designers to ensure their vision is realised using creativity and efficiency with attention to schedules and deadlines. You will use your extensive skills and experience to lead our dedicated team in all aspects of costume production.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Costume and collaborate with Costume Designers to ensure their vision is realised using creativity and efficiency with attention to schedules and deadlines.
• Interpret and realise designs through all periods and styles, design patterns, cut and fit costumes to ensure that quality and standards of craftsmanship are guaranteed.
• Work closely with the Head of Costume to ensure efficiency of design and costs relating to the manufacturing process.
• Interview, recruit, develop and manage the workroom staff, and assist with selection of work placements.
• Attend costumed rehearsals.
• Make costumes as required.
• Create and maintain records for relevant departmental information relating to productions.
• Planning, organising and managing the men’s costume workroom activities.
• Responsible for  recruiting, training, and developing staff at all levels
• Working to strict deadlines, with responsibility for planning workloads relating to manufacture primarily within the men’s costume workroom
• To ensure procedures are in line with Health and Safety legislation.
• Flexible attitude to working hours during Festival and any non festival performance period

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A Degree  or equivalent in Costume / Tailoring / Fashion or a similar industry qualification preferably specialising in bespoke tailoring.
• Significant knowledge of costume production styles through all historical periods to include cut and construction technique
• Considerable knowledge of materials with the ability to provide sound advice regarding fabric choices to achieve best results within the financial framework and production process.
• You will have the skill and ability to realise designs, draft bespoke men’s patterns, cut period and modern garments and manage the workload necessary to refurbish, fit and alter existing costumes for revivals.
• Experience in a similar role of instructing a team of costume makers in methods and techniques used in production workrooms.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills including computer literacy
• Respect confidentiality, maintain discretion, tact and diplomacy and safeguard  confidential information.
• Experience of encouraging, supporting and developing a team to maintain a positive and supportive working environment.
• Creative, flexible and self-motivated, with a willingness to collaborate and the resilience to adapt to changed priorities.
• Ability to move costumes, rails, fabrics and other items related to production processes.

• Tutoring / training /mentoring / teaching experience

Salary and Benefits

We can offer a salary of £44, 594 per annum.

We can offer either a Permanent or Fixed-Term (12 month) contract. The contractual hours of work are 39 per week with a flexible attitude to working hours during the Festival period.

We offer a minimum of 33 days / 6.6 weeks holiday per year including public holidays.

We can offer a beautiful working environment, and the chance to see world-class opera.  For those without their own transport we have a free minibus service to and from Lewes railway station. 

We also offer : 

• Free Pilates and Zumba classes, once a week
• Corporate Gym memberships
• An onsite Physiotherapist 
• Cost price electric car charging
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Subsidised dining at our onsite restaurants
• Free tea and coffee
• Discount at the Glyndebourne shop
• Free on-site parking 
• Free minibus service to and from Lewes train station and Ringmer
• Discount at various highstreet retailers through the Glyndebourne benefits hub

How to Apply

Glyndebourne is an Equal Opportunities Employer and a Registered Charity. We promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace and actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply for vacancies, including ethnically diverse and disabled candidates, who are currently under-represented in our workforce.

To help us monitor the effectiveness of our commitment to diversity and inclusion and our supporting policies and procedures, we ask all job applicants to complete our anonymized and confidential Equal Opportunities monitoring form .

Please then apply by e-mail, sending your CV and covering letter to recruitment@glyndebourne.com

The closing date for applications is Sunday 29 October 2023

To find out more about joining our world-class team, visit glyndebourne.com or email Pauline Lecrass – Head of Costume, pauline.lecrass@glyndebourne.com to arrange an informal discussion.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for our vacancies. If relevant to you, please inform us of this in your covering letter. If you have any questions in relation to this or if you would like this advert sent to you in a larger or dyslexia friendly font then please contact a member of the HR team at recruitment@glyndebourne.com.

Glyndebourne commits to protecting your privacy. We will only use information about you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation and regulations. Please see more information in our Company Privacy Notice on our website.