Direct Channels Manager / CRM Operations Manager

Product: iGaming Platform (Casino & Sports Betting)
Market: India, 2 brands
Reporting to: CRM Lead
 

About the Role

We are looking for a Direct Channels Manager to own and develop our direct communication channels: SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Push.

This is a hands-on role combining vendor management, technical integrations, and channel operations. You will source and negotiate with providers, test routes, manage API integrations via Smartico, and monitor channel performance, costs, and stability.

Key Responsibilities

Provider Management

• Source and evaluate SMS, WhatsApp, and other channel providers.
• Compare pricing, coverage, throughput, route quality, and technical capabilities.
• Negotiate commercial terms and manage provider relationships.
• Test and benchmark routes and maintain a database of providers and results.
• Coordinate contracts with the legal team.

Technical Integrations

• Own provider integrations from the CRM/CVM side.
• Work hands-on with REST APIs, Postman, and webhooks.
• Test API requests, callbacks, and messaging flows.
• Configure webhooks and integrations in Smartico.
• Troubleshoot delivery and integration issues independently.
• Support native integrations and run technical and A/B tests before scaling.

Channel Operations & Performance

• Monitor channel performance daily through Smartico Data Studio, provider dashboards, and Firebase.
• Track delivery and fail rates and investigate issues when fail rate exceeds 10%.
• Monitor OTP routes, caps, alerts, and abnormal traffic.
• Control messaging costs, provider balances, invoices, and channel budgets.
• Identify opportunities to improve deliverability and reduce costs.

Incident Management

• Respond quickly to delivery failures, sender blocks, routing issues, and OTP attacks.
• Coordinate provider/route switching when required.
• Escalate critical issues to the CRM Lead and relevant teams.
• Provide reporting and post-mortems after major incidents.

Requirements

Must-have

• Experience with SMS aggregators and/or WhatsApp BSPs at high volumes.
• Hands-on vendor management experience, including sourcing, route testing, negotiations, and provider switching.
• Strong practical knowledge of REST APIs, Postman, webhooks, and API documentation.
• Ability to troubleshoot integrations independently without relying heavily on developers.
• Understanding of channel economics: cost → delivery → conversion → ROI.
• Experience with high-volume messaging and operational monitoring.
• English sufficient for daily communication with international providers.

Nice to have

• Experience in iGaming / Gambling / Betting.
• Knowledge of the Indian market.
• Experience with Smartico or similar CRM platforms.
• Experience with Telegram, Firebase Push, or IVR.
• Experience with OTP traffic and SMS pumping / artificial traffic prevention.

Success is measured by business impact — channel stability, delivery quality, cost efficiency, and revenue growth — rather than activity volume.

Please note: the interview process includes a practical task involving API / Postman work.