A day in the life as a Seagen manufacturing purification manager
For Megan Long, details matter.
The details are paramount when she is establishing a safe environment to manufacture oncology medicines in a job where the overarching goal is to provide potentially lifesaving cancer therapeutics to people who need them.
“We’re making medicines that are going into peoples’ bodies,” said Long, who has worked as a manufacturing purification manager at the Bothell, Washington-headquartered biotech Seagen for two years.
Long is currently driven by her job to hire and train the 200 workers who will produce Seagen therapies at the under-construction, 270,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility in Everett, Washington opening in 2024.
Staffing and procuring, tracking, and onboarding processing equipment takes place in Long’s day-to-day, yet the project she’s most passionate about is the opportunity to create best practices and trainings that govern how the work actually gets done.
“In previous jobs, I have been the end-user of really poorly put together training. I want to create a first-in-class, fully comprehensive training for a biomanufacturing facility,” Long said.
Until Long and her team can work in the facility next year, she works in a Bothell office near her home.
Her days start modestly, like many Seattleites, with a large cup of coffee. Mornings aren’t her favorite time, though she ticks through tasks and builds momentum – all with the goal of launching this new, massive manufacturing facility seamlessly in the year ahead.
During lunch she can simply walk home to eat with her husband and play with her four dogs, Suka, Patrick, Deedee and Starla, during her break.
The latter half of her day is chock full of collaborative brainstorms. At Seagen, there’s a policy of no-meeting Fridays. This gives Long and her colleagues dedicated focus time to go into the weekend feeling accomplished.
Working at Seagen, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Long feels the company goes above and beyond to support her, valuing her perspective and taking her feedback seriously. Her career growth path has been clearly defined and she’s quickly climbed through the ranks from associate to supervisor to manager.
“Seagen will adapt and shift resources to ensure your success. The leadership really cares about employees to make sure they feel like they’re successful,” Long said.
Once the biomanufacturing site opens, she’ll be commuting to Everett, which sits about 25 miles north of Seattle. There, her day-to-day will take on a new adventure — with the same unwavering commitment to link Seagen innovation to patient impact.
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Sponsored by Life Science Washington and Seagen