Regional Marketing Lead / Head of Marketing – US (Midwest) Location: Chicago / Remote Smarkets is a specialist sports trading operator challenging the status quo of the betting industry with a mission to deliver transparency, fair value, and best-in-class technology. Our products – the Smarkets exchange and SBK sportsbook app – operate in the UK, US, and other international markets, and have handled over $45 billion in trading volume since 2010. We want to scale our product in the US and to spearhead this initiative, we are looking for a talented Marketing Lead / Head of Marketing who is passionate about challenging the status quo to join as founding member of our US business. The Role SBK is a brand dedicated to having the best product and the best prices in the market. As Regional Head of Marketing you will be a founding member of our new US team responsible for harnessing what makes our product unique and developing acquisition and retention strategies for the local audience. This is an early stage hands-on role, requiring an individual who is comfortable operating at both tactical and strategic level. One day you might be answering support tickets to help troubleshoot an issue, the next day you might be launching a multi-million dollar brand marketing strategy. The successful candidate will be focused on doing what is required, rather than worry about their remit or responsibilities. This role will suit a product-focused marketing expert who is motivated by the idea of having a flagship project on their resume with the chance to be an integral part of growing the world’s next biggest sports brand. Key Responsibilities: • Develop and lead all aspects of the company’s customer acquisition and retention strategies for our US customers (IN, IL, MI, IA). • Run top-of-funnel acquisition – own performance, affiliate and brand strategy to grow awareness and salience of SBK. • Develop a localized customer retention strategy, ensuring timely and accurate CRM execution, high-impact promotional delivery, and 24/7 content readiness. • Work closely with the global marketing team and Director of Marketing to leverage existing resources and assets wherever possible, to maximise budget ROI and operational efficiency. • Develop a localised brand and partnerships strategy that brings the product to life in measurable ways for local customers, and supports the overall marketing strategy. • Use AI and automation to streamline and optimize creative operations to be more effective in delivering world-class creative concepts without sacrificing the required volume, iteration, and speed. • Partner with the product team on positioning and go-to-market strategy of new product launches & features, assessing their impact both commercially and through the lens of our customer. • Collaborate with the Director of Marketing to be an active voice in the room that makes our brand a priority when making leadership and roadmap decisions. • Take ownership of the efficacy of the US marketing budget by having a strong ROI and data-driven orientation. • Represent the marketing department in cross-functional projects, providing strategic input and ensuring alignment with key business objectives About You • 5+ years of experience with increasing responsibility in online & mobile direct to consumer marketing. Start-up experience is a plus. • Knowledge of betting, gaming, trading or related spaces—direct experience with sportsbook, DFS, or F2P is required. • Deep understanding of digital marketing channels including paid social, search and wider paid media. • Experience creating and implementing A/B testing plans across various ad platforms. • Proven ability to analyze performance data and optimize creative assets for better engagement and conversion • Ability to make creative decisions driven by analytical insights • Excellent communication and teamwork skills • Experience managing agencies, designers and content creators • Mobile first experience is desirable • Regulatory awareness is advantageous Tools we use: • DotDigital • Gitlab • Jira • G:Suite • Slack • Kibana • Sisense • Lightdash Values • Push to win • Make others better • Give a shit • Be a pro • Bring the energy