Director (New York, NY)

HumanSignal
New York, NY
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to creative professionals with performance experience working in AI product development.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with acting or directing experience in simulated real-world scenarios
    — “scripted recording sessions involving everyday interactions between people and smart-home voice assistants”
  • Individuals who thrive in collaborative, production-driven environments
    — “Work closely with the Scene Coordinator and Tech Ops team”
  • Candidates with a background in coaching and providing real-time performance feedback
    — “Provide clear, constructive feedback in real time, helping participants improve performances across multiple takes”

Things to consider

  • In-person presence is required in Hoboken, NJ and surrounding areas
    — “In-person, studio-based role in Hoboken, NJ and surrounding areas”
  • The role demands physical stamina for extended workdays and equipment handling
    — “Stand and walk for extended periods throughout the workday.”
  • Occasional evening and weekend work is expected
    — “Occasional evening and weekend availability required”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience in creating natural, believable dialogue for scripted scenarios
    — “helping bring natural, believable conversations to life”
  • Emphasize your ability to balance spontaneity with script adherence
    — “Balance spontaneous interactions with script requirements”
  • Showcase coaching or directing experience with on-camera talent
    — “Experience directing conversational performances, scripted dialogue, or on-camera talent is a plus”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Leading successful recording sessions
  • Improving performances across multiple takes
  • Meeting daily scene throughput targets
Typical background
Experience in acting, directing, improv, theater, voice performance

Skills & requirements

Required

ActingDirectingImprovTheaterVoice PerformanceScript Pre-readsRehearsalsRecording SessionsNatural DeliveryImprovisationAd-libbingBack-channelingPausesInterruptionsDialogue TimingLatencySpeech OverlapsTurn-takingCoachingFeedback

Preferred

Conversational PerformancesScripted DialogueOn-camera Talent

Stack & domain

LeadershipCommunicationCoachingProblem-solvingTheaterVoice PerformanceSmart-home Voice Assistants

About the role

Original posting from HumanSignal via Greenhouse

About HumanSignal

Real-world data is the competitive edge in AI.

HumanSignal is a human data partner for companies building AI models and products. Our customers ship better AI, faster, because we partner with their researchers from real-world data creation to annotation to delivery.

We design and create datasets from scratch, recruit and manage the domain experts who evaluate model output, and run everything through our own platform, Label Studio, the open-source standard for data labeling and evaluation, used by over 1 million practitioners worldwide.

We specialize in the operationally complex: real-world data collection, multimodal pipelines, and multi-step workflows. Advanced ML and AI teams use our enterprise platform to run their own data factories, and our services team to extend their reach where in-house capacity runs out.

If you want to do work that materially shapes how the next generation of AI products gets built, we'd love to talk.

Director

HumanSignal is looking for a Director in the Hoboken area to lead scripted recording sessions involving everyday interactions between people and smart-home voice assistants. You'll guide participants through rehearsals and filming, helping bring natural, believable conversations to life while ensuring each scene meets the project's quality standards.

This is a hands-on, creative role that could be a great fit for actors, improv performers, theater directors, acting coaches, or anyone with a strong instinct for natural conversation and a passion for bringing out the best in people.

What you’ll do

Lead script pre-reads, rehearsals, and live recording sessions, helping participants understand their roles, actions, and intended conversational flow.

Coach participants on natural delivery, improvisation, ad-libbing, back-channeling, pauses, interruptions, and the subtle conversational beats that make interactions feel authentic.

Monitor dialogue timing, latency, speech overlaps, and turn-taking between user and assistant personas, identifying deviations and guiding corrections.

Provide clear, constructive feedback in real time, helping participants improve performances across multiple takes.

Balance spontaneous interactions with script requirements, ensuring scenes remain consistent with the intended objectives.

Step in to demonstrate, redirect, or adjust performances when needed to maintain quality and conversational realism.

Work closely with the Scene Coordinator and Tech Ops team to ensure scenes, props, participants, and equipment are ready for filming.

Keep sessions moving efficiently and meet expected daily scene throughput targets without compromising quality.

Who you are

You have experience in acting, directing, improv, theater, voice performance, or a similar performance-focused environment.

You have a strong instinct for natural conversation, including timing, pacing, reactions, and interpersonal dynamics.

You're comfortable coaching participants, giving actionable feedback, and adapting direction as scenes unfold.

You can identify unnatural dialogue, missed cues, and performance inconsistencies quickly.

You're organized, collaborative, and comfortable working toward daily production targets.

Experience directing conversational performances, scripted dialogue, or on-camera talent is a plus.

Physical & field requirements

The following are essential functions of this field-based role and must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation:

Stand and walk for extended periods throughout the workday.

Carry approximately 20-30 pounds of field equipment between sets.

HumanSignal will consider reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the role.

Details

Contract Duration: To be confirmed during the recruitment process

Up to 40 hours per week

$30 to $60 per hour, depending on relevant experience

Occasional evening and weekend availability required

In-person, studio-based role in Hoboken, NJ and surrounding areas

Source: HumanSignal careers (Greenhouse)

Similar roles