From Cross-Country Trails to Cross-Functional Teams

Whether he’s navigating cross-country trails on a bike or leading the ReadyElevator program through complex engineering hurdles, Len Kulbacki knows that success is all about the journey. 

With a decade of experience in autonomous vehicles, he now brings his passion for precision and cross-functional collaboration to ST Engineering Aethon.

Q: How long have you been with Aethon, and what is your background?

I joined Aethon in 2025. My background includes construction project management and a decade in autonomous vehicles, specifically in electrical hardware engineering, scaling processes, and leading manufacturing engineering teams.  

Q: When you first started working on the Ready Elevator program, what did you see as the key challenges?   

My initial challenges were establishing program infrastructure —such as governance, roles, and communication— and managing tacit knowledge within the organization, ensuring subject matter experts were involved in critical decisions  

Q: As a program manager, how do you balance the timeline demands with the need for quality?

I balance timeline demands by defining quality early for each phase, prioritizing scope (must-have vs. should-have), and protecting integration or verification time. I monitor quality risks and maintain transparency with leadership around trade-offs.  

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of the ReadyElevator program for you?   

The most rewarding part is witnessing the team's engineering rigor and collaborative problem-solving across disciplines. Their collective expertise, ownership, and resilience are incredibly motivating.   

Q: What advice do you give to young engineers?

Stay curious and pursue work that genuinely interests you! Your career path may not unfold exactly how you expect — and that’s okay – mine certainly hasn’t! The curiosity and passion you bring to your work will open doors you can’t predict and often lead you somewhere even better than you originally planned.

 Q: Tell us something fun about you. 

I've been cycling for over 30 years, especially bikepacking. I've ridden across the U.S. twice and love the feeling of exploring new landscapes with just the essentials, reorienting my senses.  

Read more about ReadyElevator here.