Waypoint People Partners, LLC

Sandy Buchanich

Fractional CHRO & Organizational Transformation Advisor

Three decades of building people strategy, leadership capability, and scalable HR functions that move the business forward.

Fractional CHRO

Proven Outcomes

Strategy that shows up in the numbers

Sandy connects people strategy to measurable business results. Three decades that define how she works:

30+

Years leading HR through growth, change, and transition

With more than 30 years of HR leadership experience, Sandy helps organizations align talent, leadership, and culture to support growth, navigate change, and achieve measurable results. Drawing on experience from Fortune 500 enterprises and privately held manufacturers, Sandy helps small and mid-sized organizations build practical HR frameworks that support business objectives. She is known for balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

Organizations

Leading HR across Fortune 500, privately held, family-owned, and private-equity-backed businesses.

Sandy understands how workforce challenges change as organizations scale, transition leadership, and pursue growth. She translates business objectives into practical actions that strengthen workforce performance and accelerate organizational growth.

Sandy BuchanichFractional CHRO · Grand Rapids, MI

About Sandy

Three decades of people strategy, from the plant floor to the boardroom

Business leaders turn to Sandy when growth, change, leadership challenges, or workforce issues begin holding back results. Her expertise is particularly valuable for organizations experiencing rapid growth, leadership transition, workforce transformation, or HR function modernization.

She has led the transformation of multiple People & Talent functions, aligning people practices with organizational vision, values, and long-term growth goals. She knows how to translate talent strategy into operational success.

Sandy helps organizations align people, processes, and leadership around business goals. Whether guiding an executive transition, improving retention, building leadership capability, or modernizing HR operations, she brings a practical approach grounded in experience and focused on measurable outcomes.

The best people strategy doesn’t sit apart from the business. It’s built into how the business grows.

Sandy’s experience spans family-owned businesses, privately held manufacturers, Fortune 500 organizations, and private-equity-backed companies, giving her a practical perspective on workforce dynamics, culture, and organizational performance.

Sandy is known for building scalable HR functions, strengthening leadership pipelines, increasing employee engagement, and reducing turnover. She also helps organizations navigate technology implementations and executive transitions with confidence. Sandy brings a balanced, people-centered approach to advising CEOs to help drive organizational performance. Sandy holds a master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations from Michigan State University and maintains both SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.

Ready for your business to thrive?

Most businesses don't stall because of their market. They stall because of people.

You already know your people drive your results. You just don’t have the time, or the in-house expertise, to build the systems that get the most from them. That’s where Sandy comes in. As your fractional CHRO, Sandy installs proven talent strategy and HR systems that are repeatable, scalable, and built for your business.

Areas of Expertise

Where Sandy creates the most value

Deep specialization across the full spectrum of human resources leadership, with an eye always on retention, engagement, and performance.

HR Strategy & Organizational Transformation

Aligning people strategy to vision, values, and long-term growth so HR moves the business forward.

Change Management & Process Improvement

Guiding teams through technology rollouts, restructuring, and executive transitions with process discipline that sticks.

Organizational Culture & Employee Engagement

Turning stated values into everyday behavior, strengthening the culture that keeps people engaged and performing.

Talent Development & Succession Planning

Building leadership pipelines and development paths so the bench is ready when the business needs it.

Executive Team Partnership

A trusted advisor to CEOs and executive teams, translating people challenges into business strategy.

Scalable HR Function Design

Standing up and scaling People & Talent functions that grow with the business, from family-owned firms to Fortune 500 enterprises.

Does your business struggle with…

The challenges that quietly cap your growth

Attracting and retaining the right people?

The talent who can actually drive your business results, and the systems to keep them.

People processes that don't run efficiently?

Hiring, onboarding, performance, and pay that should run like clockwork, but don’t.

A culture that's undefined, or dividing the team?

Misalignment and disorder that quietly erode engagement and profit.

If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone. Businesses of every size face them, and Sandy is ready to help you overcome them.

Questions, Answered

Working with Sandy Buchanich

What does Sandy Buchanich do?

Sandy is a fractional CHRO and people strategy advisor with SRV HR. She acts as an outsourced chief human resources officer for growing companies, building the talent strategy, leadership capability, and HR systems that drive business results.

Who does Sandy work with?

She partners with CEOs and executive teams across family-owned businesses, privately held manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies, and private-equity-backed organizations, bringing more than 30 years of experience adapting people strategy to organizations of very different sizes and structures.

What are Sandy's areas of expertise?

Her areas of expertise include HR strategy and organizational transformation, change management and process improvement, organizational culture and employee engagement, talent development and succession planning, executive team partnership, and scalable HR function design.

Where is Sandy located?

Sandy is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and serves clients across the United States.

What is a fractional CHRO, and how can one help my business?

A fractional CHRO is a senior HR executive who works with your business part-time, giving you C-level people strategy without the cost of a full-time hire. It’s ideal for companies that feel the strategic weight of people decisions but don’t yet need a full-time chief human resources officer.

How do I start working with Sandy?

Schedule a free discovery call through this page. Sandy will learn about your business and people challenges, then outline how she can help you build the people strategy to grow.

Let's Talk

Schedule time with Sandy

If you’re ready to build repeatable, scalable people operations that produce results, let’s start the conversation.