Head of Regulatory Affairs, New Markets
This is a newly established, cross-functional role that sits at the intersection of Regulatory Affairs, Public Affairs, Legal, Compliance, and Business Development, serving as the organisation's entry-point, dedicated function and one of the primary engines for international expansion into grey, developing, and emerging markets.
The Head of Regulatory Affairs - New Markets leads the identification, assessment, and early-stage shaping of jurisdictions where no licensing framework yet exists or where regulatory development is underway, building the government relationships and regulatory positioning that make market entry possible.
- Monitor legislative and political developments across the globe, including grey-zone, pre-regulatory, and developing jurisdictions, and maintain an internal regulatory heatmap and intelligence database.
- Build and maintain a prioritised pipeline of target markets for the executive management, formally assessing prioritized markets each year.
- Act as the internal centre of expertise on pre-regulatory and grey-zone markets, advising stakeholders and executive management on market-shaping strategies before any formal regulatory framework exists.
- Serve as a bridge between Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Compliance, and Business Development, ensuring regulatory intelligence drives expansion decisions and that pre-entry conditions are clearly defined before commercial functions are mobilised into a market.
- Build and sustain senior-level relationships with government officials, regulators, ministries, and industry bodies across target jurisdictions, including markets where the online gambling industry has no established presence.
- Lead direct government engagement and participate in public consultations, contributing position papers, white papers, and legislative proposals to shape emerging regulatory frameworks.
- Direct lobbying efforts, both directly and through allied organisations, industry associations, and local legal advisory firms to advance pro-regulation agendas in target jurisdictions.
- Represent the Company at government forums, legislative hearings, and international industry associations.
- Develop board-ready investment proposals and market-entry roadmaps, defining the political, financial, and reputational assumptions underpinning each case.
- Position the Company as the partner of choice for regulators and governments through thought leadership, participation in public consultations, and proactive reputation management in target markets.
- Provide management with structured go/pause/exit recommendations for target markets, including risk assessments and risk tolerance frameworks for grey-zone and politically sensitive jurisdictions.
- Bachelor's degree in Law, Business, or Political Science (required).
- Master's degree (MSc/MBA) in International Business, Public Policy, Law, or equivalent (preferred).
- Advanced qualification in international gambling law or regulatory affairs (nice-to-have).
- 10+ years of progressive experience in regulatory compliance, public affairs, and regulatory strategy within the online gambling and gaming industry (required).
- Proven track record of leading market-entry initiatives specifically in grey-zone, pre-regulatory, or developing jurisdictions, not only in fully licensed markets (required).
- Demonstrated AI-first mindset, actively leveraging AI tools and assistants to improve productivity, problem-solving and decision-making (required).
- Continuously explores new AI capabilities and champions their practical adoption within teams, using AI as a natural part of day-to-day work rather than a supplementary tool (required).
- Experience engaging in public consultations and contributing to the development of regulatory frameworks, including authoring position papers and legislative submissions (required).
- Demonstrated ability to operate as a cross-functional bridge, coordinating across Legal, Compliance, Business Development, and Commercial without direct line authority (required).
- Extensive experience building and maintaining high-level relationships with regulators, governments, and industry associations across multiple jurisdictions and cultures (required).
- Strong knowledge of gaming regulations, licensing frameworks, and government-relations strategy (required).
- Multilingual capability and cultural fluency required; comfort navigating diverse political systems and regulatory environments (required).
- Strong leadership skills and experience building functions or teams from the ground up (required).
- A buddy will support you with your onboarding.
- Competitive pay and bonus scheme.
- Developmental 360° feedback framework.
- Family Support.
- Monthly meal allowance.
- Private health insurance for you and your family.
- Unlimited access to Udemy & continuous training.
Kaizen Gaming is one of Europe's fastest-growing GameTech companies, operating the Betano and Stoiximan sports-betting and online-casino brands. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, with a major operational hub in Malta, it serves more than 13 million customers across 19 markets in Europe, the Americas and Africa. The company builds its own technology, combining sportsbook, live betting and casino products. Its flagship Betano brand has grown internationally through sponsorships including UEFA competitions and major football clubs.