Staff Scenic Designer

The Metropolitan Opera

New York, United States

November 03, 2025

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Staff Scenic Designer

Lincoln Center - New York, NY
Production /
Full-Time /
On-site
Rate of Pay : $4,310.76 per week, per CBA.

The Staff Scenic Designer is a key member of the Design Team, responsible for creating complete design drawing packages for new productions based on preliminary drawings and sketches.  The Staff Scenic Designer collaborates with the principal Set Designer, Technical Director and in-house Lighting Design team and the Production Engineering Team. 

Primary Responsibilities

    • Consulting with the Assistant General Manager, Production on production questions relating to design. 
    • Attending design meetings. 
    • Providing designs, sketches, models, drawings and elevations. 
    • Adjusting and modifications in drawings. 
    • Consulting on construction and painting (1) prior to building and (2) during construction. 
    • Selecting props, draperies and set dressing.  
    • Assisting during technical and lighting rehearsals.  
    • Supervising scenic design aspects of re-setting a Metropolitan Opera production loaned to another theater. 
    • Sculpturing ons cenery and props, including drawings, pounces, application of pounces, modeling and sculpturing over and above the rough carpentry blocking, according to past practice. 
    • Checking all scenery and props for revival and repertory productions to ascertain what work, if any, is required to maintain the productions in good condition. 

Skills and Qualifications

    • Education: MFA Theatre diploma 
    • Collaboration: Strong and proactive collaborative team skills set to support original design 
    • Technical skills: CAD proficiencyAutocad 
    • Problem-Solving: Strong critical thinking skills and problem-solving scenic design to effectively address stage and construction issues 
    • Candidates must have at least 10 years of experience working in Scenic Design in Opera or Theatre. 
The Metropolitan Opera is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and existing employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, citizenship status, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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