About this opportunity
Overview
Mercor is partnering with a leading AI research lab to create next-generation text-to-speech systems that produce natural, expressive, human-like voices. They are seeking South Africa-based native English speakers with authentic South African accents to provide high-quality voice recordings for training and evaluating speech models. This is an ongoing opening, with new voices onboarded on a rolling basis. The work is an independent contractor engagement and is fully remote.
The expected engagement is one recording session of about 4 hours. A second session of similar length may be requested later, depending on client needs, but it is not guaranteed. Your recordings will be used only for the client’s internal CX AI Agent and will not be sold, licensed, or reused for other products, datasets, or purposes.
What You’ll Do
- Record high-quality voice samples across a range of scripts, including conversational, narrative, and instructional content.
- Deliver speech that is clear, natural, and expressive, with strong control over tone, pacing, and pronunciation.
- Keep voice quality, accent, and delivery consistent across sessions.
- Follow recording guidelines covering environment, microphone setup, and file formatting.
- Complete multiple takes when variation in emotion, emphasis, or style is needed.
Requirements
- Native English speaker with an authentic South African accent, currently based in South Africa.
- A clear, natural, and expressive voice.
- Access to a professional or near-professional recording setup, such as a quality microphone, quiet environment, and pop filter.
- Strong command of intonation, diction, and emotional range.
- Ability to follow scripts precisely while still sounding natural.
- Availability for a single approximately 4-hour recording session, with the possibility of one additional similar session later.
- Willingness to have your voice cloned for the client’s CX AI Agent.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience recording for TTS, audiobooks, IVR systems, or AI voice datasets.
- Familiarity with audio editing tools such as Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Reaper.
- Ability to deliver multiple vocal styles, such as conversational, corporate, energetic, or calm.
Contract Terms
- You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
- The role is fully remote and can be completed on your own schedule.
- Projects may be extended, shortened, or ended early depending on needs and performance.
- Payments are made weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
- Mercor is unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.
