Digital Marketing Manager

Initiate; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Initiate is seeking a commercially driven Digital Marketing Manager to own digital acquisition across key African markets including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. You will focus on turning digital investment into quality first-time depositors while managing acquisition costs and ROI.

Reporting to the Group CEO, you will shape strategy, manage agencies, and collaborate with internal teams to optimize the journey from first interaction to deposits and ongoing player value across multiple markets.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in digital marketing, including 3+ years in iGaming or performance-led environments.
• Proven track record of profitable customer acquisition at scale.
• Experience managing external agencies, performance partners and affiliates.
• Strong understanding of paid social, paid search, tracking, attribution and analytics.
• Budgets management with ROI-driven decision making.
• Knowledge of responsible gambling principles and advertising regulations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management, with senior leadership exposure.
• Relevant degree or marketing qualification or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the digital acquisition strategy and budget across multiple African markets.
• Set performance expectations for SEO, paid media, social and external partners.
• Oversee campaigns across Meta, Google, programmatic and local platforms with focus on FTD.
• Own the affiliate channel including recruitment, negotiations, CPA and revenue shares.
• Improve conversion across the customer journey from landing pages to deposits and app activity.
• Drive organic social, influencer and sports marketing around key events.
• Ensure tracking and attribution using pixels, UTMs and postbacks.
• Analyse performance across markets, reporting on FTDs, CPA and ROI.
• Ensure compliance with gambling advertising and responsible gambling rules.
• Collaborate with CRM, Product and Retail to align strategies.

Skills

Digital marketing

Agency management

Performance marketing

Marketing analytics

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Marketing qualification

Tools

Google Ads

Meta Ads

SEO

Digital attribution

Job description

The Opportunity

Our client is looking for a commercially driven Digital Marketing Manager to take ownership of digital acquisition across key African markets, including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

This is an opportunity for a performance-focused marketer who understands that successful acquisition is about more than generating clicks and registrations. You will be responsible for turning digital investment into quality first-time depositors (FTDs) while ensuring acquisition costs, player value and ROI remain commercially sustainable.

Reporting directly to the Group CEO, you will shape the digital acquisition strategy, manage specialist partners and agencies, and work closely with internal teams to create a seamless journey from first interaction through to depositing and ongoing player value.

Your Key Job Responsibilities will include:

• Develop and own the digital acquisition strategy and marketing budget across multiple African markets.
• Set clear performance expectations for SEO, paid media, social and other external marketing partners.
• Oversee campaigns across Meta, Google, programmatic and relevant local digital platforms, with a strong focus on FTD acquisition.
• Take ownership of the affiliate channel, including partner recruitment, commercial negotiations, CPA and revenue-share structures, performance tracking and fraud prevention.
• Identify opportunities to improve conversion throughout the customer journey, from landing pages and registration through to deposits and app-store activity.
• Drive organic social, influencer and sports-focused marketing initiatives around key sporting events, fixtures and tournaments.
• Ensure robust tracking and attribution across campaigns using tools such as pixels, UTMs and postbacks, providing clear visibility of acquisition sources.
• Analyse performance across markets and channels, reporting on FTDs, cost per acquisition, conversion and return on investment.
• Ensure all digital activity meets applicable gambling advertising and responsible gambling requirements, working closely with Legal and Compliance.
• Partner with CRM, Product and Retail teams to ensure acquisition strategies complement player retention and wider commercial objectives.

What Success Looks Like

Your impact will be measured through clear commercial outcomes, including:

• Increased FTD volumes across target markets.
• Acquisition costs consistently aligned with agreed targets.
• Improved registration-to-deposit conversion.
• Stronger 30, 60 and 90-day player value.
• Improved return on marketing investment across individual channels.
• Sustainable growth driven by quality players rather than volume alone.

Requirements for this role:

• 5+ years' experience in digital marketing, including at least 3 years within iGaming, sports betting or another performance-led consumer environment.
• A demonstrable track record of acquiring customers profitably at scale.
• Strong experience managing external agencies, performance partners and affiliate relationships.
• Excellent understanding of paid social, paid search, digital tracking, attribution and marketing analytics.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to manage budgets, analyse performance and make decisions based on ROI.
• Understanding of responsible gambling principles and gambling advertising regulations.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to engage with senior leadership.
• Relevant degree, marketing qualification or equivalent professional experience.

Advantageous Experience

Experience that would strengthen your application includes:

• Previous marketing experience across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi or other African markets.
• Understanding of mobile-first audiences and lower-bandwidth environments, including channels such as WhatsApp and USSD.
• Practical knowledge of SEO and conversion rate optimisation (CRO).
• Experience marketing sportsbook, casino or other online gaming products.