Fortune 500 HR Leadership, Sized for Your Business
KNS Associates gives CEOs, owners and executive teams of small and medium-sized businesses direct access to executive HR leadership, from fractional CHRO engagements to focused consulting projects, without the cost of a full-time executive.
How Our Services Fit Together
Every engagement starts with the business problem, not the HR category.
Our work falls into natural groups. Executive HR leadership puts a seasoned CHRO or Chief People Officer inside your leadership team, on a fractional or interim basis. HR advisory and consulting solves defined problems, from compliance exposure to a full transformation of the HR function. Talent and organization work builds the leadership bench and performance culture your growth plan depends on.
Executive HR Leadership
Ongoing or interim executive leadership for your people function, at the level your board and your leadership team expect.
Fractional CHRO Houston
A senior CHRO embedded in your leadership team on a part-time basis. The outcome is an executive people strategy tied directly to your growth plan, without carrying a full-time executive salary.
Learn moreInterim CHRO Houston
Immediate executive coverage during a departure, a search or a transition. The outcome is continuity: compliance, momentum and your leadership agenda hold steady while you hire deliberately.
Learn moreFractional Chief People Officer
Culture, engagement and talent strategy led at the executive level. The outcome is a company that keeps the people it hires and performs the way you planned.
Learn moreFractional HR Leadership
Right-sized executive oversight for companies not yet ready for a C-suite HR hire. The outcome is an HR function that is genuinely led, not just administered.
Learn moreExecutive HR Leadership, in the Room
Every engagement is delivered directly by Ken. You are not handed to a junior consultant or a template.
The right engagement depends on what your business needs right now: continuous executive leadership, coverage through a transition, or a defined piece of work with a clear finish line.
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HR Advisory and Consulting
Focused engagements that fix specific problems and leave durable HR capability behind.
Executive HR Consulting
Direct counsel for CEOs and boards on employee relations, labor relations and difficult people decisions. The outcome is decisions made with confidence and risk managed before it escalates.
Learn moreHR Transformation Consulting
A redesign of how HR works, from organizational design and shared services to a modern HR strategy. The outcome is an HR function that drives the business instead of trailing it.
Learn moreHR Outsourcing
Executive oversight of outsourced HR operations. The outcome is day-to-day HR that runs reliably while your leadership team stays focused on the business.
Learn moreHR Compliance and Audits
A clear-eyed audit of policies, practices and exposure. The outcome is compliance gaps found and closed before they become claims, disputes or fines.
Learn moreMost Clients Do Not Arrive Knowing Which Service They Need
They arrive with a symptom: turnover that will not slow down, a compliance scare, an HR leader who just resigned, a leadership team that is not ready for what comes next. Start with a conversation and we will map the symptom to the right engagement.
Talent and Organization
Build the leadership bench and the performance culture your growth plan depends on.
Leadership Development
Succession planning and talent management built into how you run the company. The outcome is a next generation of leaders that is ready before you need them.
Learn morePerformance Coaching and Accountability
Performance systems and compensation strategy that tie pay to results. The outcome is accountability that lives in the operating rhythm, not in an annual review binder.
Learn moreNot Sure Where to Start?
You do not need to diagnose your own HR function before you call. That is our job.
- Bring us the business problem, not the HR category
- Get a frank, executive-level read on what your HR function needs
- Work directly with Ken Sensanbaugher, with no handoff to a junior team
- Leave the first conversation with a clear recommended next step
Executive Judgment, Applied to Your Situation
Ken Sensanbaugher brings 30+ years of HR leadership, a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and HR leadership experience at Honeywell and Cummins. He has led global HR transformations and serves as CHRO and VP of HR and Administration at JB Poindexter.
That background means the first conversation is already useful. You describe what is happening in the business, and you get an honest assessment of where the real problem sits and which engagement, if any, fits it.
Explore Every Service
Each service has its own page with scope, engagement details and answers to common questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
A fractional CHRO is an ongoing, part-time member of your leadership team, there for as long as the role earns its place. An interim CHRO covers a defined transition, such as a departure or a search, and hands off when your permanent leader is in place. Both come with the same executive standard of work.
You do not have to. Start with a consultation, describe what is happening in the business, and Ken will give you a straight recommendation. Many engagements begin as one service and evolve as the real priorities become clear.
Yes. A fractional CHRO engagement often includes a compliance audit, leadership development work or a compensation review inside its scope. What is included gets defined in writing during the strategy and pricing discussion, so there is never ambiguity about what you are getting.
Ken Sensanbaugher. KNS Associates is built on direct access to a senior HR executive, not a leveraged model where the pitch and the delivery come from different people.
Put an Executive HR Leader in Your Corner
Tell us what is happening in your business and we will recommend the right starting point.