Build right. Hire right. Rebel forever.

I'm a fractional Head of Talent for Series A-C startups and defense contractors. I build recruiting infrastructure companies own forever, ATS workflows, sourcing frameworks, scorecards, pipelines; then close critical hires in under 30 days.

My path wasn't traditional: TGI Fridays → booking bands → managing tours → 14 years in recruiting. It taught me to spot talent fast, sell with conviction, and treat every search like representation. I operate like an agent, take care of both sides, protect the brand, close the deal.

Currently: Fractional Head of Talent at EarthDaily Federal (geospatial intelligence, defense). Board member at Underground Admins.

Author: Head and Heart: Winning the AI Recruiting War

richie@rebeltalentsystems.com | rebeltalentsystems.com

Richie Lampani

I got recognized at Costco yesterday.


Guy walks up, points at me, and goes "You're that recruiter."

I said "Depends. Are you hiring or mad at me for ghosting you or something?"

He said "Neither. I just see you everywhere and wanted to make sure you were real."

Then he bought a 48-pack of paper towels and left.

No follow. No handshake. No "love your content." Just a man confirming my corporeal existence between the rotisserie chickens and the tire center.

I've never felt more seen and more invisible at the same time.

This is what 50,000 LinkedIn connections gets you.

A stranger in bulk goods aisle 7 performing a wellness check.

Anyway I'm still taking clients.

Also, who would tune in for the below podcast? I'm trying to talk Shaun Hervey into starting it back up. 

Richie

Fractional Head of Talent | Series A-C Startups & Defense | Author & Talent Strategist | Former TGI Fridays Flair Champ

When the hiring manager says ‘we need someone hungry’ and the team looks like they’ve been surviving on vibes and stale granola since 2023.

No alternative text description for this image

I get why people hate recruiting agencies. I’m Richie. I’ll go first.
I apologize for my part in it and for once being one of the idiot recruiters you all deal with. Candidates AND Decision Makers. 

Because the real problem with recruiting isn’t mysterious. It isn’t candidates. It isn’t even “bad actors.”

The real problem with recruiting is that there is zero barrier to entry.

Anyone can open a “firm” tomorrow.

No credentials. No licensing. No skill checks. Nothing.

Even if you get hired into an agency, the interview process isn’t about expertise for recruiters with 2 or less years experience. It’s about personality and enthusiasm.

Can you smile through rejection, handle being micromanaged, and agree to do more for less? Congratulations, you’re a recruiter now.

No wonder the industry looks the way it does.

What new recruiters actually get taught
It’s not recruiting. It’s volume mechanics.
Here’s the training plan at most shops:
-Here’s the template job description. Don’t think. Just post it.
-Here's the basics of the ATS. Not even how to search the database that exists within it.
-Here’s how to search for keywords. Don’t understand them. Just match them.
-Here’s the call quota. Hit it.
-Here’s the email quota. Hit it.
-Here’s the “submit” quota. Hit it.
AND INVARIABLY and INEVITABLY at EVERY shop I've worked at, there is a minimum of 1 meeting a month about candidate ownership that 100% will devolve into a battle of how to decide who talked to Joe that has a very basic skillset but always answers every outreach.

If I’m finding .NET developers but I don’t know what .NET is, that’s not recruiting.

That’s scavenger hunting.
Volume is the skill.
Quality is the accident.


When you hand anyone a LinkedIn seat and tell them “go find talent,” this is what happens:
-Bad outreach floods good candidates
-Bad screening wastes hiring managers’ time
-Bad job descriptions repel the people you actually want
-Bad incentives encourage speed over accuracy

Candidates think we’re clowns(and a LARGE % of the time, they're right)

Hiring managers think we’re a tax.

And agencies keep doubling down on “more activity” instead of “more skill.”

If this industry took its job seriously, recruiter would mean something:
-Understanding the tech you’re sourcing for, not just the keywords
-Writing job descriptions that attract, not repel
-Market mapping, calibration, and diagnostics with hiring teams
-Measuring retention and quality of hire, not CV volume
-Training rooted in assessment, psychology, and labor market knowledge

It’s not complicated.
It’s just not how the industry is built.

If you run a recruiting team or an agency, ask yourself:
Are you training recruiters to understand the work or just search for words?
Would you trust your own career with the people your shop places?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, that’s the point.

Zero barrier to entry is not changing.
The bar you set inside your own shop can.

We have several finalists on this. Holding for now. 

Remote - 10-99 - IT Admin role - part time! 
Pay is DOE but targeting 50-75/hour
Role: Part-Time IT Administrator
Engagement: 1099 Contractor
Time Commitment: Part-time, flexible

Location: Remote, EST Time zone preferred, must be US Citizen living in the US. 

Overview
EarthDaily Federal is looking for a part-time IT Administrator to support our internal systems and act as the primary liaison between our internal team and our external IT and security partner.

This role sits at the center of everything technical inside the company. You will own the day-to-day IT administration work while coordinating with ISI on security, compliance, and higher-level infrastructure items.

This is a startup-style environment. Many basic IT processes are either incomplete, undocumented, or need to be cleaned up. The right person is comfortable walking into a messy system and methodically making it better.
Some people love that. Some people hate it. We want the ones who love it.

Core Responsibilities
-Serve as the primary IT point of contact for EarthDaily Federal
-Act as the liaison between internal teams and ISI
-Coordinate requests, troubleshooting, and follow-ups with our external security provider.
-Manage internal user access, permissions, onboarding, and offboarding
-Administer Microsoft 365 environment including SharePoint and Teams
-Support employee endpoint setup and basic troubleshooting
-Maintain and improve internal IT documentation and processes
-Partner with engineering leadership to support basic IT needs as required

Environment and Tools
-Microsoft 365
-SharePoint
-Teams
-Internal SaaS tooling supporting engineering and operations

Preferred Background
-Experience working in small or early-stage environments
-Comfortable operating with limited documentation and evolving processes
-Prior exposure to secure or compliance-driven environments is a plus
-Awareness of CMMC concepts is a bonus but not required
-Strong communication skills and comfort acting as a bridge between vendors and internal teams

What Success Looks Like
-Internal IT issues are triaged quickly and resolved cleanly
-ISI communication is organized, tracked, and effective
-Users know exactly where to go for IT help
-Systems become cleaner, more documented, and easier to manage
-Leadership gains visibility and confidence in the IT function

Interview
Talk to me
Talk to COO
Talk to CTO

Rock and Roll. Looking to get someone in ASAP

Notes
This is not a maintenance-only role.
This role exists to stabilize, clean up, and bring order to foundational systems that grew faster than the structure supporting them.
If you enjoy building order from chaos, this will be a great fit.
If you need everything perfectly defined on day one, it will not be.

3 fully remote roles for Underground Admins clients. 2 Engineering and 1 sales. Please share.

🚂 Production Engineers (x2)
Stop. Don't send me your DevOps resume.
Two Production Engineer roles. Fully remote. $150K-$250K base.

But here's the filter:
If your day is CI/CD pipelines and Jira tickets, this isn't it. If you've never owned a production service end-to-end, this isn't it. If your incident response is "check the runbook," this isn't it.

This is for software engineers who moved into production because they gave a damn about how their code behaved in the wild.

The work:
60-70% hands-on C# on modern .NET, building and owning services
30-40% reliability, observability, SLOs, systems design
Zero L1 support. No on-call circus. No finger-pointing at infra.
Python for tooling. PostgreSQL on AWS. Legacy migrations that don't burn the house down.

Requirements:
3-7+ years owning production systems as a software engineer
Strong C# and Python
U.S. citizen, living in the U.S.

Interview process: Two technical rounds. One alignment conversation. Done.
DM me with the nastiest incident you've ever fixed and what you changed so it never happened again.

🪖 Head of Defense Sales
$200K base. Uncapped commission. And you're building this from zero.
One of my clients needs a Head of Defense Sales to own the entire DoD go-to-market. Not manage existing accounts. Build the function.

This is a closer role, not a farmer role.

What you're walking into:
Full ownership of defense sales strategy
Pipeline you build yourself
Direct line to executive leadership
Future team-build potential when you prove it works

The work:
Identify, qualify, close new DoD logos
Build relationships with primes, integrators, and program stakeholders
Translate complex tech into mission outcomes
Shape capture plans, proposals, pricing
Carry quota. Deliver.

Non-negotiables:
Proven track record selling software into DoD
Experience closing new logos, not just renewing contracts
You understand defense procurement, budgeting, acquisition cycles
Can build pipeline independently in a fast-moving environment

Preferred:
Active or recently lapsed clearance
Background in data, analytics, cyber, AI, or privacy tech
Startup or growth-stage experience
Network in Army, SOCOM, Space Force, Navy, Air Force, or COCOMs

Location: US based. East Coast or DMV preferred. Huntsville, Denver, Colorado Springs, Tampa, San Diego also work.

If you've opened doors and closed complex software deals in defense, DM me.

Underground Admins clients - NOT EDF. If you're interested hit up myself or Amy and we'll set you up with a screen.

Share this with all of the gritty, grindy, grimy hunters: You've sold into DoD. You know what it takes.

You don't live in SAM(dot)gov waiting for RFPs. You go find the opportunities before they exist. You build relationships that turn into requirements. You're in the room shaping the conversation, not responding to it.

The long cycles. The relationship game. The "no" that turns into "not yet" that turns into a $2M contract 18 months later.

You've carried a bag. Built pipeline from nothing. Sat through capability briefs that went nowhere and turned cold calls into warm intros into real money.

EarthDaily Federal is building something. Geospatial intelligence. AI-powered analytics. Real mission impact for Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force.

We've got the tech. We've got the past performance. Now we need hunters who want to eat.

Remote. Competitive comp. No bureaucracy. Small team, big upside.
If you're tired of selling software to people who don't care, come sell something that matters to people who do.

I don't have a range on this yet but honestly, there's a solid base and you probably are more interested in the commission checks anyway. Bene's and remote.

DM me. Let's eat.

This is Chuck. Chuck charges 25% to send you ‘top-tier talent your internal team can’t find.’ 

Because apparently his LinkedIn recruiter seat works differently than yours 

Or his job posts are better because he changed your company name out for “our client” so candidates wouldn’t just apply direct. 


Stop renting Chucks. Hit me up about a better way.

Once you see it as a demonstration and not an audition, everything changes.

You’re not begging for approval.  

You’re showing how you actually work.

Candidates: You’re not “on stage.” You’re giving a preview. And finding alignment. 

Companies: You’re not “judging talent.”  Or “selling an opportunity”. You’re showing what it feels like to be on the inside. And finding fit.

The "trust your gut?" poll results are all in here. How people treat red flags in interviews.

When you've taken a job you already had doubts about, when did the gut feeling hit that it wasn't going to work out? I ran a poll. 442 people answered

Open article: The gut knew. You overruled it. by Richie Lampani • 3 min read

REMOTE - Production Engineer/SWE/SRE opening through Underground Administration Staffing and Recruiting! Share this please

6 month contract to hire - 160-200k+ DOE plus bene's and extras

Global SaaS platform. Zero bureaucracy. Actual engineering work, not ticket triage.

I am looking for someone who can write real backend code and also own reliability end to end.

 If you are a script-only SRE, this is not the role.

 If you are a heads-down SWE who avoids production, also not the role.
I need the rare breed who lives in the middle.

The Work:
 • Write production-grade backend code in Python, Go, or Java(plus C# chops)
 • Support modernization and migration of legacy .NET services into AWS
 • Build internal tools, APIs, and automation
 • Tune Postgres and improve service performance
 • Deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, improve
 • Own services independently with minimal supervision

Bonus Points:
 • Kubernetes experience
 • Rust exposure or willingness to learn
 • Strong observability stack experience with Datadog, Dynatrace, or New Relic

Requirements:
 • Must be a US Citizen
 • Must be physically located in the US
 • No visas or sponsorship
 • Contract to hire
 • Fully remote

Interview Process (fast and simple):
Engineering Manager
Peer interview
Engineering Manager again for final talk and offer

No marathon interview loops. No whiteboard theater. No pointless homework.

If you can build, ship, deploy, break, fix, and improve a service, you will get through this quickly.

If this sounds like you, or you know the complete STUD who can do both SWE and SRE at a high level, let's talk. 

Also have some fun stuff coming up at EDF and Rebel. 

Feels like motion. Let's get people hired.

Data-Driven Operations Leader | Digital Healthcare | Strategic Planning | Partnerships | Business Planning And Analysis | Servant Leadership

I have led transformative projects with small teams at startups and large global teams for a Fortune 15 company. I am passionate about empowering others and driving positive change in the world.

I'm a lifelong learner who knows that strong operations, solid strategic planning and a culture of good communication are the pillars for success. 

My team has been responsible for multi-million-dollar CRM/ERP implementations, creation of analytics frameworks, development of sales, marketing, and implementation playbooks, and 10+ Mergers and Acquisitions.

My career focus has been in the healthcare/medical device/digital healthcare space, but I am open to other industries. My experience spans sales, strategy, business development, marketing, operations and analytics providing me with a comprehensive understanding of the whole ecosystem.

Highlights Include:

* Developing a comprehensive enablement plan and revamping the sales and marketing processes and workflows, which led to a 45% improvement in forecasting accuracy.

* Implementing operational workflow changes in marketing, professional services, and sales, saving over 20 hours per week and $500k annually in administrative costs.

* Overseeing the integration of 10 M&A projects resulting in annual operational cost savings of over $2M by eliminating redundant processes.

* Introducing a cross-functional whitespace tool that identified $20M in overlooked pipeline opportunities.

* Establishing a telehealth care model that increased patient volumes by 30%.


My skills include:

Operational Leadership
Business Planning
Healthcare and Medical Device sectors
Expertise in building Sales/Revenue Operations infrastructure
CRM, CPQ, ERP Implementation and Business Leader
M&A management
Project management
Data Analytics
Change Management 

I can be reached at sherri.carpineto1@gmail.com

Sherri Carpineto

December 2025 my husband died suddenly.  

October 2023 my dad died 6 weeks after a Glioblastoma diagnosis.

April 2010 my mom died 11 weeks after a lung cancer diagnosis. 

Our family has experienced an inordinate amount of heartache and loss.

And I’ve also realized over and over again how much life changes in an instant. 

Hustle is great. Moving up the ladder is great. 

But tomorrow is NOT guaranteed.

Putting off joy and vacations and PTO and life for later is a gamble no one should take.

Achieve your dreams. Work hard. Have goals. But please make sure you’re present and you make memories 

Because some day those memories will be all you have to hold close.

I guarantee that amazing work project or promotion will be forgotten.

This from someone who sacrificed career for caretaker and financially now isn’t in the place I could be. 

But memories are forever and I will never regret those. 

Be a good human


This GoFundMe and other ways were created to help my boys fulfill their wish of staying in our home: 

https://lnkd.in/esi8HEfZ
Venmo: Sherri-Carpineto (4504 is last 4) 
Zelle: Sherri.carpineto1@gmail.com 
PayPal sherriandjoe@hotmail.com

Home Depot just announced 800 layoffs AND return to office 5 days a week for workers. 

While this is consistent with trends these days - hire too many and lay people off without care, and then force butts in seats…

Doing this all at once is a double gut punch. 

Remaining workers will now absorb extra work and be required to be in-office to do it.

After losing my husband suddenly last month, and the chaos that has entailed since, I can’t imagine working in an office 5 days a week for an employer who may lay me off soon anyway. 

Actually I can. I did work for managers and companies like that when I lost my mom, had numerous miscarriages and my son was diagnosed with life-changing diseases.

Home Depot is laying people off to increase speed and agility - aka likely AI and to appease shareholders and increase revenue. 

Bottom line is bottom line. That’s all they care about.  So make sure you care about you. 

Make yourself relevant at work. Work hard and make an impact because that’s who you are and you believe in what you do.

But make yourself relevant outside of work even more. Your family doesn’t need more speed and agility and won’t lay you off.

And you never know when you’ll lose them.

Be a good human

I’m excited to share my new job and project!!!!!


My holiday drive raised $7000 for presents for kids whose parents have been laid off.

I want to do it again… but with birthday gifts.

https://lnkd.in/eH5gAR4k

My husband Joe LOVED buying gifts and was the best gift giver.

Here’s a way to honor him 

As I just celebrated my husband’s birthday, the first one without him, I realize how important it is celebrate everything 

And kids all deserve a present for their birthdays.

Birthdays are often the first to go when laid off parents just need to pay the electric bill. 

I remember the stress so well. 

Would you be willing to contribute? 

My hope is to get wishlists from parents and spend between 50-75 per child of a laid off parent.

I could use your help as unfortunately I cannot donate thousand dollars as I did in December now.

I am happy to provide receipts, pics for proof as I was accused of scamming people by a few on LinkedIn. 

In a time when my world came crashing down, the best way for me to stand tall again is to be able to shine the light and help community 

I hope you’ll help, too. 

The Joe Carpineto birthday drive begins now…

If you have a child with a birthday wish you’d like to fulfill please comment below 

If you’d like to help I’m including the link in comments (and other ways if you’d prefer) 

If you can comment, like, share, suggest people who may need help 

Let’s make a difference in supporting kids and laid off parents 

And in Joe’s memory 💕

Be a good human

Receipts and screenshots offered 

https://lnkd.in/eH5gAR4k

In case you prefer: 
Zelle: Sherri.carpineto1@gmail.com
Venmo: Sherri-Carpineto (last four 4504) 
PayPal: sherriandjoe@hotmail.com

This last month since I lost my husband has been about surviving… not thriving.

Surviving non-stop house issues 

Huge snow storms

Sick kids 

Grief 

A celebration of life 

Mountains of paperwork 

Bratty dogs 

My kids and I… we’ve survived and honestly sometimes that IS thriving. 

Not every day is easy or sunshine and roses or belongs on a motivational calendar 

And when I spent time the last few weeks looking at pics for a slide show at my husband’s celebration…

This picture… an early on anniversary pic.. reminds me that memories never fade 

And surviving will turn to thriving again.

If you’d like to help our boys… we’re so appreciative 

Venmo: Sherri-Carpineto 
Zelle Sherri.carpineto1@gmail.com (save the spam)
GFM: https://lnkd.in/esi8HEfZ

Be a good human

Amazon has announced they are laying off 16,000 people. 

16 THOUSAND.  

They did go on to say that laying people off every few months isn’t their new rhythm. 

But it sure seems that way. Could have fooled me 

And UPS is laying off 30,000, ironically enough as they stop shipping low cost Amazon packages. 

30 THOUSAND. 


This is certainly part of AI. But it is not just a tech issue or an AI one 

If you’re employed, even happily….

Make sure you keep a brag book NOW so you remember 

Keep you Resume updated and relevant 

Take the call from a friend of recruiter and make an intro for them if you’re not interested. You never know if you’ll need them. 

Update LinkedIn with new accomplishments NOW

And realize networking is NOT transactional. It’s every day community building. Do it now not when you need help. 

And if you’re laid off or you see the red flags?  🚩 Take advice with a grain of salt but always advocate fiercely for you and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Now or later 

How can I help?

Be a good human

Posting about being a mom on LinkedIn is unprofessional. 



People always comment on my posts about mom’ing and asking if it belongs here. 

I need to hide being a mom in interviews, in phone calls, and now on LinkedIn posts too?

I can’t hide the most important aspect of my life and the job that’s provided me with more skills than any other in my career. 

I am a mom. First. Always. 

I am a working mom. Always.

I believe in advocating for women in the workplace. 

I believe in paid parental leave/ paid caretaker leave. Better access to childcare. 

I believe in talking about how being a working mom isn’t all rainbows and puppy dogs 

AND how I wanted to be a stay at home mom when my kids were little. 

I talk about how my career suffered because I stayed at jobs that allowed flexibility

And I apologize for none of it. 

We need companies to support working moms (and dads and caretakers)

We need products that cater to this demographic 

We need to be confident in who we are, and for me that’s a mom. 

I can’t hide who I am… it goes against all I believe in. 

In and out of work. 

Be a good human.

Our whole work team is together this week without me. I wasn’t invited.



Ok, I’m just kidding.  I uninvited myself. 

I was actually supposed to speak and train teams at our annual kick-off. I look forward every year to the energy it brings and being in-person with so many people. 

I’ve been working non-stop for the last 15 months on big impactful projects I was excited to train on.

But only a month out from losing my husband, and helping my boys figure out this “new” life, traveling wasn’t in the plans.

It will be again someday. Maybe a few months, maybe 6.  Who knows.

Life and grief and kid’s well-being has no timelines. 

It’s all dependent on how my kids are, childcare plans, ability to make it work. 

Life is infinitely more complicated now that I’m an only parent 

And my kids are grieving their biggest cheerleader.

Life is hard. So hard. But what I AM grateful for is a team that has stood by me.

Picked up the slack. Said don’t worry, care for your family. 

I didn’t take any bereavement leave, just a week of already scheduled PTO the week of Christmas when my husband died.

But I know I can take time. I know things will get done. I know I’ll be supported. 

And I know I can still do amazing things at work while taking care of the two most important things in my life - my sons. 

That to me is work/life balance. Not some equal time… that never works

As I work through mountains of paperwork and what if’s the next few months, I’ll be working long hours until April on this project, too.

And then I’ll take a much needed breather

But until then? I am grateful to not just be employed, but to be valued.

I’ll still miss my co-workers this week. Being on a Teams call just isn’t the same 

Be a good human.

Dow chemical is laying off 4500 people worldwide so they can transform to outperform 

Aka more AI.  And yet somehow the labor market is stable and all is well in the world…

Amazon layoffs = 16k
UPS = 30,000 (attrition or not) 
Home Depot = 800
Pinterest = 15% of employees around 700 to focus on AI

This isn’t a tech problem. This is a market problem.

If you’re employed and reading this PLEASE keep networking NOW

Show up on LinkedIn. Post. Comment. Be relevant, relatable, and available.

I have seen so many open to work posts the last few days from people who haven’t networked or been on LinkedIn since the last time they were job searching. 

Start from a position of power.

Because whether we want to believe it or not, ALL of us are just one number on a spreadsheet away from redundancy 

And for those who are solopreneurs, keep contacts because business ownership isn’t a guarantee either 

Be a good human. Look out for YOU and help your community, too.

If you’ve been impacted by layoffs I hope to open more 15 minute coaching chats in coming weeks, likely end of February, just for a quick plan and see how I can help - no money or pitching.

1 month into the year and this post holds true. 

The word present and along with adding grace remain my words this year.

What was Month 1 like for you?

Be a good human

Being a widow at 49 years old is not how I could have imagined 2025 ending.

But here I am with this new “label.”


2025 saw endless challenges but I was also able to raise 7k to buy gifts for kids whose parents have been laid off 

I was able to take on a new job at work and had to absorb the work of others after layoffs and do it well 

I was able to start my coaching business - helping 12 paid clients land jobs and giving away 75+ hours of free coaching. 

I don’t know what 2026 will hold for our family - but I know it won’t be easy. And I know my boys deserve the best. 

So my word of the year is present. 

Present for my kids. For myself. For life. For Joe’s legacy 

Because time is something we never have enough of. 

I will carry on Joe’s legacy of kindness 

Be a good human 

If you’d like to help my kids and I as we navigate after years of medical challenges and layoffs have made life difficult:

Venmo: Sherri-Carpineto (4504 last 4) 
Zelle: Sherri.carpineto1@gmail.com 
GoFundMe: https://lnkd.in/esi8HEfZ

No is a full sentence.

Setting boundaries doesn’t make you less of a team player. 

Advocating for yourself doesn’t make you overpowering. 

Giving your opinions and sharing expertise doesn’t make you overbearing. 

Asking for what you believe is fair doesn’t make you difficult 

Being confident doesn’t make you rude. 

Negotiating doesn’t make you ungrateful. 

Instead being an employee who is respected, valued, listened to and paid fairly makes you an asset 

Don’t let anyone tell you differently. The more confidence you have with a keen ability to speak up AND listen, the more you’ll bring to the world 

Be a good human.

taplio

The Battle

Richie Lampani

Sherri Carpineto

Followers

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Performance ScoreRichie Lampani's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSherri Carpineto's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Richie Lampani

Sherri Carpineto

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Richie Lampani's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreRichie Lampani's LinkedIn Performance