Voice Actor - South African Accent

Obsidian; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 207,000 - 344,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking native English speakers based in South Africa to contribute voice recordings for training cutting-edge TTS systems. An ongoing opening with rolling applications, each engagement consists of a single recording session of approximately 4 hours, with a potential second session if needed.

Recordings are for the client’s internal CX AI Agent and will not be sold or reused elsewhere. Ideal candidates have a clear, expressive voice, good recording setup, and the ability to follow

Qualifications

• Native English speaker with authentic South African accent.
• Clear, natural, and expressive voice with good recording setup.

Responsibilities

• Record high-quality voice samples across diverse scripts (conversational, narrative, instructional).
• Deliver clear, natural, and expressive speech with strong control over tone, pacing, and pronunciation.
• Maintain consistency in voice, accent, and delivery across recording sessions.
• Follow detailed recording guidelines (environment, microphone setup, file formatting).
• Perform multiple takes with variation in emotion, emphasis, and style when required.

Job description

Mercor is partnering with a leading AI research lab to build next-generation text-to-speech (TTS) systems capable of producing natural, expressive, and human-like voices. We are seeking South Africa-based native English speakers with authentic South African accents to contribute high-quality voice recordings for training and evaluating cutting-edge speech models. This role is open to both experienced voice professionals and newcomers with a naturally clear, expressive voice and a good recording setup — prior voice-acting experience is a plus but not required.

This is an ongoing opening — we onboard new voices on a rolling basis, so applications are always welcome. The engagement itself is a single recording session of approximately 4 hours. A second session of similar length may follow depending on the client's needs, though this isn't guaranteed.

Your voice recordings will be used exclusively for the client's internal CX AI Agent. They will not be sold, licensed, or reused for any other product, dataset, or purpose.

Key Responsibilities

• Record high-quality voice samples across diverse scripts (conversational, narrative, instructional, etc.)
• Deliver clear, natural, and expressive speech with strong control over tone, pacing, and pronunciation
• Maintain consistency in voice, accent, and delivery across recording sessions
• Follow detailed recording guidelines (environment, microphone setup, file formatting)
• Perform multiple takes with variation in emotion, emphasis, and style when required

Requirements

• Native English speaker with an authentic South African accent, currently based in South Africa
• A clear, natural, and expressive voice (prior voice acting, narration, or broadcast experience is a plus, not required)
• Access to a professional or near-professional recording setup (quality microphone, quiet environment, pop filter, etc.)
• Strong command of intonation, diction, and emotional range
• Ability to follow scripts precisely while maintaining natural delivery
• Availability for a single ~4-hour recording session, with the possibility of a further session of similar length later on
• [IMP]: Your voice may be cloned for the client's CX AI Agent so please only apply if you are okay with voice cloning. Your recordings will not be sold or reused outside of this specific use case.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience recording for TTS, audiobooks, IVR systems, or AI voice datasets
• Familiarity with audio editing tools (e.g., Audacity, Adobe Audition, Reaper)
• Ability to deliver multiple vocal styles (e.g., conversational, corporate, energetic, calm)