Ray Bardus

Results-driven marketing professional with over 8 years of experience in B2B SaaS marketing, specializing in content strategy, technical writing, and project management. Adept at crafting compelling, data-driven campaigns and assets that drive engagement and revenue growth. Highly self-motivated with exceptional communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER (Contract) at Microsoft (2026-02 – 2026-07)

• Lead global blog content strategy supporting Microsoft Cloud products across 20+ marketing blog properties.
• Worked with stakeholders to craft messaging for our SMB audience, creating a new blog category within the security channel.
• Managed editorial planning and publishing for 50+ monthly posts aligned to integrated campaign initiatives.
• Partnered with Product Marketing, SEO, and Comms to deliver content for enterprise IT and developer audiences.
• Used Adobe Analytics and Power BI insights to optimize content performance and engagement.
• Championed SEO, accessibility, and UX best practices across new and maturing blog content.
• Enabled stakeholders with blogging frameworks, workflows, and performance reporting.

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER (Contract) at Splunk (2025-08 – 2026-05)

Customer Journey Content (contract 2):

• Assisted with the creation of customer journey campaign content, across Platform, Security, and Observability portfolios, producing 8 integrated assets in 2 months including e-books, guides, promotional copy, and supporting content for multi-channel launches.
• Authored and owned 3 e-books for integrated campaigns, generating over $33,500 in pipeline in the first 3 months of publication.
• Partnered cross-functionally with Product Marketing, Demand Gen, and Campaigns teams 2x a week, accelerating content turnaround by an average of 2 days by aligning stakeholders regularly.

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER (Contract) at Splunk (2025-08 – 2026-05)

Perspectives Thought Leadership Blog Channel (contract 1):

• Created and published 15 executive-level thought leadership blogs for Splunk Perspectives in less than 4 months, supporting the company's positioning as a trusted authority in security, IT, and data innovation.
• Collaborated with 20+ senior leaders and subject matter experts to translate highly technical insights into accessible, C-suite–ready narratives.
• Improved blog performance and engagement, contributing to a 15% increase in traffic through tighter storytelling, clearer POVs, and audience-focused framing.
• Recognized for strong performance and impact, resulting in a contract extension to support additional strategic initiatives across the business.

SENIOR CONTENT MARKETING SPECIALIST at Palo Alto Networks (2023-06 – 2024-10)

• Developed and executed global editorial strategies for firewall and cloud-delivered security services, driving engagement and brand awareness.
• Increased blog traffic by 100%, elevating average page views from under 500 to over 1,000 per post within a year, enhancing content visibility and audience reach.
• Generated $2B in pipeline in Q4 2023, with Firewall and CDSS content contributing $1.6B, by creating high-impact content aligned with business objectives.
• Led and coordinated a diverse creative team of third-party vendors, including budget, ensuring on-time deliverables, seamless collaboration, and high-quality output across a variety of projects.

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER at Splunk (2021-06 – 2023-02)

• Created and refined high-impact content, including e-books, product briefs, thought leadership articles, and email campaigns, ensuring brand consistency and compelling messaging across all materials.
• Led content strategy and execution for 1.6 million emails over three months, increasing open rates from 13% to 17% and enhancing audience engagement.
• Recognized with the Living Our Values Award among 7,500+ employees for exceptional teamwork and contributions to advancing the company's mission and vision.

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER at TruSTAR (2020-03 – 2021-06)

• Developed and executed comprehensive marketing content strategies, including social media copy, white papers, blogs, thought leadership, and event materials, to drive brand awareness and engagement.
• Managed a strategic partnership program with 50+ Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations and Centers (ISAOs and ISACs), solidifying the company's position as the leading intelligence management platform for cybersecurity organizations across industries.
• Led content strategy during a critical growth phase, contributing to a successful Series C funding round and the company's acquisition by Splunk.

MARKETING AND EVENT SPECIALIST at Circadence (2018-11 – 2020-03)

Responsibilities

• Developed and managed a high-impact webinar program, generating over 200 qualified leads in just four months.
• Created, proofed, and published engaging blogs, social media content, and lead-generation copy, increasing brand awareness and driving a 1,500-follower growth on Facebook in six months.
• Designed sales enablement materials, including one-pagers, battle cards, and trade show collateral, while overseeing event logistics, digital campaigns, and performance data analysis for events.

EVENT MANAGER at Cultivate (2016-11 – 2018-09)

Responsibilities

• Assisted in developing a nationwide training program for 100+ contract staff, enhancing operational efficiency and workforce readiness.
• Created and managed a company community outreach initiative, partnering with a local homeless youth shelter to provide mentorship, meal prep, and fundraising support.
• Led the planning and execution of 10+ events per month, including tradeshows with budgets up to $300K, while coordinating logistics, post-event reconciliation, and managing a demanding 30% travel schedule.

Senior Legal Assistant at Omni Financial

Assistant Manager at Boulder Bodyworks

Executive Assistant at Radical Choices

Office Manager at Boulder School of Rock

BS in Communications, Minor in Psychology – OHIO UNIVERSITY (2011-06)