Senior Manager, Sports Operations & Strategy

Sports Global remote, Malta


Description

Position at ARRISE

ABOUT US

ARRISE sets the benchmark for service delivery and excellence in the iGaming industry. Playing a key role in the success of its clients, which include Pragmatic Play, a brand relied upon by the world’s biggest online casinos for its cutting-edge products, ARRISE helps to deliver exceptional gaming experiences to millions of players worldwide.
Our global team of over 11,000 talented and driven professionals are shaping the future of iGaming. Headquartered in Gibraltar, we have offices spanning Canada, India, the Isle of Man, Latvia, Malta, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and the UAE, and more exciting destinations on the horizon.
At ARRISE, we take pride in creating growth opportunities at all levels, constantly investing in our people while welcoming new colleagues and forging strategic partnerships that open new opportunities for success.
To achieve this, we bet on ourselves. We know that success is a collective effort, and our team is driven by ambition, collaboration, and a shared commitment to grow and succeed — while embracing every step of the journey.
Be part of the future of iGaming with 11,000 ARRISERS! See a job that excites you? Apply now, and our friendly recruitment team will connect with you soon. Your journey starts here.


ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the SVP of Sports, the Senior Manager for Operations & Strategy is a key leadership role sitting at the centre of the sportsbook operating model.
You are accountable for ensuring strong alignment between Sports Operations, Product, Trading, Risk, Support, Commercial, Finance, Compliance, and external partners. You act as the senior representative of operational priorities, ensuring business needs are clearly structured, prioritised, and progressed through wider company roadmaps.
You will oversee the operational readiness of new sportsbook features and launches, ensuring impacted teams are fully briefed, prepared, and supported ahead of release.
You will lead relationships with key third-party vendors, data providers, and strategic partners, ensuring strong service performance, cost control, commercial discipline, and effective escalation management.
You will also maintain market awareness, identifying innovative suppliers, technologies, and opportunities that can strengthen the sportsbook proposition and support future growth.
This is a high-impact role requiring commercial judgement, strong stakeholder management, pace, ownership, and the ability to turn complexity into clear action.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

  • Act as the primary link between Sports Operations and wider business functions to ensure alignment on priorities, dependencies, and execution.
  • Own the intake, review, and coordination of operational requirements across Trading, Risk, Support, Content, Account Management, and Commercial teams.
  • Represent operational priorities within wider planning forums, ensuring key business needs are clearly articulated and appropriately prioritised. 
  • Maintain structured governance of operational backlogs, requests, and improvement initiatives. 
  • Ensure new sportsbook features, tools, and enhancements are launched with strong operational readiness across impacted teams. 
  • Coordinate release communications, business readiness activity, feedback loops, and post-launch reviews. 
  • Identify operational risks, blockers, or cross-functional gaps early, driving prompt resolution. 
  • Act as the primary relationship owner for selected third-party vendors, data suppliers, content providers, and service partners. 
  • Monitor vendor performance against agreed service levels, uptime, responsiveness, data quality, and commercial commitments. 
  • Manage escalations with external partners and coordinate internal stakeholders through resolution. 
  • Support evaluation of new vendors, products, and strategic opportunities aligned to sportsbook priorities. 
  • Attend key global industry conferences, supplier meetings, and market events to identify relevant opportunities and maintain strong external networks. 
  • Partner with Finance and BI teams to support accurate provider invoicing, reconciliation, usage validation, and cost transparency. 
  • Support new market launches, jurisdictional readiness, and cross-functional regulatory initiatives where sportsbook operational input is required. 
  • Drive continuous improvement across sportsbook processes, communication flows, and operational efficiency. 
  • Produce clear management updates, recommendations, and progress reporting for senior leadership.

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU

  • Strong understanding of sportsbook operations, products, trading environments, and customer experience. 
  • Deep knowledge of sportsbook workflows across Trading, Risk, Support, Content, and Commercial functions. 
  • Proven experience managing complex cross-functional stakeholders and influencing without direct authority. 
  • Strong commercial awareness with experience managing vendors, contracts, SLAs, and cost controls. 
  • Ability to translate business issues into clear priorities, plans, and actions. 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with confidence engaging senior stakeholders internally and externally. 
  • Strong organisational discipline with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
  • High sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability. 
  • Strong analytical mindset with confidence using operational and commercial data to support decisions. 
  • Comfortable working independently, making sound judgement calls, and driving momentum. 
  • Strong knowledge of the global sportsbook supplier landscape is highly desirable. 
  • Flexible approach to working hours across multiple time zones. 
  • Availability to travel internationally as required.

SUCCESS IN THE ROLE LOOKS LIKE

  • Strong alignment between Sports Operations and wider business roadmaps. 
  • Operational priorities are visible, organised, and progressing effectively. 
  • New features launch smoothly with minimal disruption and strong readiness. 
  • Vendors are well managed, accountable, and adding value. 
  • Costs and invoicing are accurate, timely, and transparent. 
  • Sports leadership time is protected from unnecessary operational noise. 
  • The sportsbook business operates with greater pace, control, and execution discipline.

 

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