Hydrus - Session Director - English (AU) - V2

Remote; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 55,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Project Hydrus is seeking a Session Director to lead live voice-recording sessions, guiding performers through scripted scenarios to achieve natural, conversational delivery while keeping sessions moving efficiently. Remote freelance role supporting US participants.

You will coach performers, adapt lines for natural phrasing and dialect, monitor mic technique, and document adjustments and retakes to maintain high audio quality.

Qualifications

• Native fluency in required language with strong ear for colloquial phrasing.

Responsibilities

• Direct voice performers through scripted scenarios, coaching for natural, conversational delivery rather than verbatim recitation.

Skills

Voice direction

Talent coaching

Improv directing

Audio quality

Session pacing

Interpersonal skills

Dialect adaptation

Tools

Pro Tools

Adobe Audition

Reaper

Job description

About the Project

Project Hydrus is a scripted and conversational audio data collection project. The recordings produced help build natural, everyday-sounding synthesized voices for conversational AI products — voices that sound like real people talking, not scripted performances.

As Session Director, you'll lead live recording sessions with Voice Contributors, guiding them through scripted scenarios to produce natural, conversational-quality audio. This hands-on role blends creative direction, coaching, and technical audio judgment — making scripted material sound authentic and unscripted, while keeping sessions moving at a natural pace.

What You'll Do

• Direct voice performers through scripted scenarios, coaching for natural, conversational delivery rather than verbatim recitation.

• Build quick scene context for performers (who, where, why) and improvise to fill narrative or dialogue gaps live, keeping sessions flowing naturally.

• Adapt scripted wording for natural phrasing and regional/dialect authenticity as needed.

• Monitor and correct technical audio quality in real time: mic technique, pacing, clarity, and background noise.

• Manage session pacing to meet recording targets without sacrificing performance quality, and maintain organized notes on adjustments and retakes.

• Create a supportive, low-pressure environment for performers, including those with limited prior voice experience.

What We're Looking For

Required

• Native fluency in the required language (with specific dialect), with a strong ear for natural, colloquial phrasing.

• Experience directing, coaching, or producing voice or audio talent (e.g., voice direction, casting direction, audio/podcast production, dubbing/ADR, or theater direction).

• Demonstrated ability to give clear, specific, actionable performance direction.

• Strong working knowledge of basic recording/mic technique (proximity, plosives, room noise, levels).

• Comfortable improvising and adjusting scripted material on the spot.

• Excellent interpersonal skills; able to build rapport quickly with performers of varying experience levels.

Preferred (nice to have, not required)

• Background in improv, theater direction, or acting coaching.

• Experience directing non-professional or first-time voice talent specifically.

• Familiarity with DAWs or recording software (e.g., Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Reaper) for spot-checking audio quality.

Commitment & Compensation

• Estimated time: Approximately 8 hours calibration, plus supervision across two recording sessions of ~4 hours each per participant

• Work Type - Freelance Remote