Dance Costume Coordinator

Department: Col of Visual and Performing Arts

Classification: Media Specialist 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The School of Dance provides rigorous, professional-caliber dance training within the context of a comprehensive liberal arts education, preparing students for professional careers in dance performance, choreography, teaching, and related fields. Through a rigorous curriculum, exceptional faculty, and ongoing engagement with nationally and internationally recognized dance artists, the School of Dance provides an immersive, conservatory-style experience that fosters technical mastery, artistic innovation, and critical thinking. The School of Dance’s robust performance season supports this mission by giving students frequent, significant opportunities to train and perform at a professional level.

About the Position:

The Dance Costume Coordinator is responsible for designing, sourcing, altering, and maintaining costumes for all School of Dance productions, as well as for managing, maintaining and updating the School of Dance's costume inventory. The Dance Costume Coordinator works closely with School of Dance faculty, the School of Dance Production Manager, student choreographers, and visiting guest artists, and in coordination with the College of Visual and Performing Arts Costume Shop, to design and realize costumes that support the choreographic and programmatic vision of all School of Dance performances while ensuring functionality, durability, and comfort for dancers. The Dance Costume Coordinator supervises costume shop staff when appropriate.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with School of Dance faculty, the School of Dance Production Manager, student choreographers, and visiting guest artists to interpret costume needs;
• Designs, sources, purchases, constructs, and alters costumes that align with the choreographic visions, production contexts, and technical requirements of each work presented by the School of Dance;
• Oversees all costume logistics throughout the production cycle, including:
  • Pre- and post-production storage;
  • Load-in and strike;
  • Maintenance, laundering, and repairs during a show run; and
  • The management of rentals;
• Fits dancers and makes necessary alterations to ensure costumes support mobility, safety, and comfort in addition to the artistic visions and technical requirements of the pieces they support;
• Supervises costume shop staff in costume construction and maintenance for School of Dance projects;
• Maintains and updates inventory of costume stock, ensuring proper organization, care, and documentation of School of Dance costume inventory;
• Attends design and production meetings and rehearsals as appropriate to support costume development and execution; and
• Ensures all work meets production deadlines and budget constraints in coordination with the School of Dance Production Manager. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Demonstrated professional costume management experience;
• Significant professional experience in the area of costume design and construction (ideally for dance);
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff in the construction of costumes and costume inventory management;
• Significant knowledge of stage costume construction;
• Strong sewing, alteration, fabric selection and care, fitting and measuring, patterning, construction, painting and dyeing skills;
• Strong organizational skills and time management abilities; and
• Ability to work with a wide range of expertise from students to professional artists to university faculty and staff.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Significant professional experience costuming for dance;
• Experience working in a higher education setting and mentoring students in costume construction (ideally for dance);
• Significant knowledge of costume design and construction for dance;
• Clear, respectful communicator able to work with a range of artistic voices and technical personnel while maintaining professionalism backstage and in the shop;
• Commitment to artistic excellence; and
• Demonstrated ability working with a diverse population of artists, students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Dance Costume Coordinator at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: August 7, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  August 29, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes