Costume Assistant

**Job Description for Costume Assistant**

**Company Overview**:
We are most famous for our award-winning event, buried deep in the Crown Estate near Ascot. 18 years ago, Mike & Alison Battle created the event out of their own desire to take their children somewhere that would celebrate the pure, commercially unsullied, magic of Christmas. Now, with the help of Hollywood set-designers, West-End actors and more than a sprinkling of magic, the event is keeping the magic of Christmas alive for thousands of children every year.

LaplandUK celebrates and honours the values, imagination, and wonderment of childhood through our magical world, rich storytelling and immersive memory making experiences.

This is an exciting period of growth for us, as we look for new ways to bring the Lapland experience to a global audience through media, publishing, live shows, and eCommerce channels.

**Role Summary**:
The Costume Manager Assistant’s role is to support the Manager with the following main objectives;
- Assist in sourcing, procurement and preparation of makers packs.
- Efficient onboarding and financial tracking of freelance staff.
- Gathering information needed to allocate costumes and create an effective fittings planner

The assistant will carry out practical and administrative tasks supporting activities at our costume workshop. You will attend auditions, taking accurate measurements for the costume team and ensuring effecient allocation of costumes prior to the live show. You will also help to prepare a schedule for fittings, set up workshop spaces and support the fittings and alterations period.

Continually ensuring the provision of excellent standards of costume care and presentation, adherence to the LaplandUK ethos, procedures and departmental targets.

**Responsibilities**
- Support Workshop Projects
- Fabric procurement
- Makers Packs
- Fittings Planner
- Efficient communication with contractors and Lapland colleagues
- Fittings and Alterations
- Delivery of costume and wig stock to Live show team - Company policies, procedures and brand standards
- Statutory compliance
- KPIs

**Responsibilities - breakdown**
- Procure fabrics for costume making projects under instruction of the Costume Manager
- Collate and send makers packs providing materials needed by freelance makers.
- Attend casting sessions and rehearsals in order to take accurate measurements for the costume team. Ensuring accurate allocation and alterations prior to fittings.
- Create a fittings planner, scheduling cast to attend suitable slots for costume and wig fittings.
- Manage communications with cast members, booking appointments and ensuring attendance.
- Monitor costume deliveries into workshop
- Support in the allocation of costumes prior to the live show.
- Set up the fittings space and support with fittings and alterations prior the live show.
- Assist with the delivery of costume stock to the Live wardrobe team
- Prepare maintenance supplies for the live wardrobe team to carry out on-site repairs, including character-specific boxes.
- Keep a workshop inventory of fabrics, trims and buttons.
- Assist in costume assessments where required
- Keep detailed jobs diary and follow a critical path in order to deliver tasks to schedule.
- Take part in regular meetings with the Head Office and Wardrobe teams, in order to keep up to date with the latest business and departmental plans.

Administration
- Write up appropriate contracts and job-specific Statements of Work, as instructed by the Costume Manager, accurately monitoring and filing returned copies
- Raise and track progress of Purchase Orders and payments, ensuring suppliers are paid to schedule and following accurate financial procedures and filing.

Head Office
- To attend any Head Office functions, meetings or social gathering, as a full-time member of the Head Office team.

Company Policies, Procedures and brand standards
- Company policies, procedures and brand standards are understood and adhered to
- Stimulate change, challenge assumptions and contribute towards the continual improvement of operating standards and procedures to foster long term company growth

Statutory Compliance
- Attend and complete any training as required by the Company
- Take responsibility for executing and adhering to company statutory policies and brand standards as trained. Predominately but not limited to H&S policies.

**Essential behaviours/personal qualities**:

- Clear and effective communication skills
- Ability to follow instruction with a keen eye for detail
- Working within a team to achieve shared goals
- Self-motivated, pro-active and level-headed
- Time management, self-motivation, efficiency and initiative
- Positive and cheerful attitude
- Desire and ability to develop professional and interpersonal skills - LaplandUK Brand Ambassador

**Essential skills and competencies**:

- Costume construction skills with good attention to detail
- Knowledge of the uses and care of costume fabrics