Abstract Experimental data are presented on the evolution of a helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet driven by a tailored voltage waveform generated as bunches of voltage pulses consisting of a superposition of $$\approx 43$$ ≈ 43  kHz bipolar square pulses and $$\approx 300$$ ≈ 300  kHz oscillations. The characteristics of directed ionization waves (guided streamers) are compared for bunches with different first pulse polarities and different bunch duty cycles. The longest and brightest streamers are achieved at the voltage bunch with the first negative pulse and a minimum duty cycle. The dynamics of streamers at the voltage bunch with the first positive pulse are characterized by the shortest length and a lower brightness. The plasma jet length can be smoothly changed by varying the number of pulses in the bunch and the polarity of the first pulse. It is thus possible to precisely localize the region of a strong field in space by combining the parameters of the applied voltage (the duty cycle and polarity of the first pulse of a bunch) with a stepwise propagation mode of a guided streamer.