Fortune 500 HR Leadership for Your Business, on a Fractional Basis
Direct access to a seasoned Chief Human Resource Officer who has led HR at Honeywell, Cummins, and JB Poindexter—without the cost of a full-time hire.
Meet Ken Sensanbaugher
Ken spent his career leading HR where the standards are highest. Now that experience helps businesses like yours navigate complex workforce, leadership, and organizational challenges.
Through KNS, he brings this expertise to small and midsize businesses through flexible fractional, interim, advisory, and project-based engagements.
Credentials and Experience:
- 30+ years of HR leadership experience
- Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University
- HR leadership roles at Honeywell and Cummins
- Service as CHRO at JB Poindexter
- Experience leading global HR transformations
As the executive behind KNS Associates, Ken provides fractional and interim HR leadership to businesses throughout the Houston area and nationwide.
Credentials Earned in the Chair
The judgment KNS brings to your business was built at the highest levels of corporate HR.
30+
Fortune
500
Cornell
Why Companies Choose KNS
Executive HR leadership is fundamentally different from basic HR support, and that difference shows up in your business results.
An Executive, Not an Agency
When you partner with KNS, you work directly with Ken. Your HR strategy is shaped by someone who has sat in the CHRO chair, not handed to a junior consulting team.
Fortune 500
Discipline, Right-Sized
HR frameworks that run in top companies like Honeywell and Cummins—adapted to the pace, budget, and culture of a small or medium-sized business.
Accountable to
Business Outcomes
Every strategy connects directly to core executive priorities: driving growth, retaining top talent, mitigating risk, and building a resilient leadership pipeline.
Executive HR Leadership in the Form Your Business Needs
Your business may need ongoing executive leadership, temporary coverage, or focused help with a specific challenge.
Choose an engagement model that reflects what your organization needs now.
Executive HR Leadership
Executive HR leadership aligned with your company’s scale and operational goals.
HR Advisory & Consulting
Turn complex workforce and organizational challenges into clear, actionable strategies.
Talent & Organization
Build resilient teams and elevate your leadership capabilities to drive sustainable business results.
Who We Help
We support business owners and executive teams that need senior HR guidance for growth, transition, or complex workforce decisions.
Support is available for:
- Small and midsize businesses, typically ranging from $1M to $500M in revenue
- Growth-stage companies building stronger people infrastructure
- Organizations navigating transformation, succession, or ownership changes
- Companies with a capable HR team that needs executive-level direction
- CEOs, CFOs, and COOs seeking a confidential HR advisor
- Houston-area businesses and clients nationwide
Executive HR Solutions for Critical Business Challenges
When high-stakes issues reach the CEO, KNS delivers the executive-level guidance needed to protect and grow your organization.
Succession Risk
Identify critical positions, assess potential successors, and create practical development plans that support leadership continuity and reduce key-person risk.
Organizational Design
Clarify roles, reporting relationships, decision rights, and organizational structures so they align with current priorities and enable scalable growth.
Compensation
Develop a structured compensation approach informed by market data, internal equity, business priorities, and sound legal and compliance guidance.
Employee Relations
The sensitive situations that keep owners up at night—handled with executive HR judgment, discretion, and seasoned problem-solving.
HR Compliance
Review HR practices, identify priority risk areas, establish clear ownership, and coordinate with employment counsel when legal interpretation is required.
Responsible AI in HR
Evaluate where AI may support HR work while maintaining human review, data safeguards, appropriate governance, and clear accountability.
What Business Leaders Say About Us
See how organizations have benefited from experienced HR leadership, practical guidance, and a trusted executive perspective.
“Ken brought a level of strategic HR guidance that immediately impacted our leadership bench and succession planning. His experience is invaluable.”
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“KNS helped us navigate a critical organizational redesign. The clarity and direction provided were exactly what our leadership team needed.”
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Title, Company
“The executive perspective Ken brings is rare in the consulting world. He speaks directly to the business outcomes we care about.”
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Put Fortune 500 HR Leadership on Your Team
Talk directly with KNS Associates about the people-related challenges your business faces. Based in the Houston area, serving clients nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
A fractional CHRO provides part-time executive HR leadership. They guide people strategy, succession planning, organizational design, compensation, employee relations, and compliance oversight, while the internal team manages daily HR operations.
HR outsourcing typically handles administrative functions, while a fractional CHRO provides strategic direction and executive-level judgment. This leadership can complement an existing HR team or outsourced provider.
There is no fixed company size for fractional HR leadership. It may be a strong fit when workforce decisions begin affecting growth, retention, risk, or leadership continuity, whether the business generates $1 million or $500 million in revenue.
Houston-area businesses may receive on-site support, while organizations nationwide can access fractional HR leadership through remote and agreed-upon on-site engagements.
Pricing depends on the engagement scope, priorities, working cadence, and expected duration. After an initial consultation and intake, the business receives a recommended approach with clear pricing before work begins.