Head of CRM (iGaming & Sports Betting)

Overview

Head of CRM (iGaming & Sports Betting) Jobs in Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa at Initiate International

Title: Head of CRM (iGaming & Sports Betting)

Company: Initiate International

Location: Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa

A high-growth online betting and gaming business is looking for an ambitious, commercially driven Head of CRM to lead player retention, lifecycle strategy and customer engagement across the South African market.

This is a pivotal leadership role for someone who thrives on turning player behaviour into action. You will shape how customers move from registration to first deposit, first bet, repeat activity, VIP potential and long-term loyalty across sportsbook and casino.

You will lead the CRM function responsible for keeping players engaged, reducing churn, increasing lifetime value and delivering campaigns that make a visible commercial impact.

CRM sits at the heart of the player experience.

From major sporting events and high-value casino promotions to personalised journeys, reactivation campaigns and VIP retention strategies, you will be responsible for ensuring the right player receives the right message, offer and experience at the right time.

You will build the roadmap, lead the team, challenge weak performance and create a CRM engine that drives sustained player engagement and revenue growth.

This is not a role for someone who simply manages campaign calendars. It is for a retention leader who understands player psychology, wagering behaviour, promotional mechanics, segmentation and commercial performance.

What You Will Own

Player Retention and Lifecycle Strategy

• Develop and lead the full CRM and player retention strategy across sportsbook and casino.
• Build high-impact customer journeys covering onboarding, activation, first deposit, first bet, repeat engagement, churn prevention, reactivation and loyalty.
• Create retention initiatives that improve active player rates, deposit frequency, wagering activity and player lifetime value.
• Identify opportunities to improve player engagement through behavioural triggers, segmentation, personalisation and targeted incentives.
• Lead the CRM roadmap and ensure it supports wider business growth, product priorities and revenue targets.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor activity and player expectations to keep CRM activity ahead of the market.

Campaigns, Promotions and Player Engagement

• Lead the planning and delivery of multi-channel CRM campaigns across email, SMS, push notifications, onsite messaging and other digital channels.
• Build commercially effective promotional strategies around major sporting events, jackpots, casino launches, tournaments, missions and seasonal activity.
• Ensure player offers are targeted, relevant, profitable and aligned with customer value and behaviour.
• Drive personalised campaigns that increase engagement without relying on blanket bonus offers.
• Work closely with Product, Trading and Marketing teams to maximise CRM opportunities around key sporting calendars and casino events.
• Partner with VIP teams to build differentiated journeys for high-value players and emerging VIP segments.
• Ensure every campaign is accurately targeted, quality assured, compliant and delivered on time.

Data, Performance and Commercial Growth

• Own CRM performance across retention, churn, active players, deposit behaviour, wagering frequency, campaign conversion, promotional ROI and player lifetime value.
• Translate player data into sharp commercial insight and practical action plans.
• Lead regular performance reviews and make decisive recommendations where campaigns, journeys or offers are not delivering.
• Build a strong culture of testing, experimentation and optimisation across offers, content, channels, timings and journey logic.
• Work closely with BI and Data teams to enhance reporting, player segmentation, churn modelling, predictive analysis and dashboard visibility.
• Identify high-potential customer segments and develop strategies to move players into higher-value lifecycle tiers.
• Maintain a disciplined focus on campaign profitability, bonus cost and promotional abuse risk.

CRM Operations and Team Leadership

• Lead, develop and motivate a high-performing CRM and retention team.
• Set clear objectives, campaign standards and accountability across the function.
• Drive the automation roadmap, improving behavioural triggers, player journeys and campaign efficiency.
• Strengthen CRM governance, campaign calendars, QA processes, documentation and operational controls.
• Lead CRM platform enhancements, integrations, migrations and new technology initiatives.
• Build strong working relationships with CRM technology partners, vendors and service providers.
• Ensure CRM activity remains aligned with responsible gambling principles, data protection requirements and regulatory standards.

What We Are Looking For:

• Minimum 5 years’ CRM, retention or lifecycle marketing experience within iGaming, sports betting, online casino or another high-volume digital environment.
• At least 2 years’ experience leading a CRM, retention or lifecycle marketing team.
• Strong understanding of sportsbook and casino player behaviour, including deposits, betting patterns, bonus uptake, churn signals and player value segmentation.
• Proven experience building and optimising retention, reactivation and lifecycle campaigns.
• Experience managing CRM activity across email, SMS, push notifications, onsite messaging and automated customer journeys.
• Strong commercial instincts with the ability to balance player engagement, bonus investment and long-term profitability.
• Experience using CRM platforms, campaign automation tools, reporting dashboards and customer analytics solutions.
• Strong knowledge of segmentation, campaign measurement, A/B testing and performance optimisation.
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Highly organised, analytical and comfortable working in a fast-moving, target-driven environment.
• Fluent written and verbal English communication skills.

Advantageous Experience:

• Experience with Smartico, Optimove, Braze, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Fast Track or similar CRM platforms.
• Experience creating sportsbook promotions, casino bonus campaigns, loyalty programmes, gamification mechanics, tournaments or missions.
• Exposure to predictive modelling, churn scoring, behavioural segmentation or player value modelling.
• Experience collaborating with VIP teams on high-value player engagement and retention.
• Basic HTML knowledge and exposure to campaign-building or creative-editing tools.
• Experience working in regulated iGaming or online sports betting markets.

Why This Role Matters

This is an opportunity to build a CRM function that does more than communicate with players. You will shape how the business retains them, grows their value and keeps them engaged in a highly competitive market.

You will have genuine ownership, senior visibility and the freedom to build smarter player journeys that directly influence engagement, retention and revenue.

For a commercially minded CRM leader who knows iGaming, understands players and enjoys seeing strategy turn into measurable growth, this is where the real action is.