Redundancy. Vacany in similar but lower grade job in another team

SDH

Along with 60 odd others, I am going to be made redundant from my current role.

However there is a vacany in same company but another team which is quite similar to my current role, except the role is a grade lower than what i am right now.

However I got promoted in my current role last year without a payrise. So apart from sticking a "Senior" at the beginning of my job title, as far as I am concerned nothing changed with the promotion - and therefore in my head "going down" to the original grade wouldn't be a problem.

The company have said that the vacancies on offer will be filled by prioritising the redeployed/potential redundant employees first.

I've just had an informal chat with the manager of the team with the vacancy and his main concern seems to be that I'm applying for something 'beneath' me.
I'd really like to stay with the company and in this type of role. I realise that going down a grade makes me look super-unambitious so how can I convince the interview panel otherwise?

gjs6385

I can see it from both sides, but surely your manager should see that although you are going "beneath" were you are now, you are being loyal to the company and obviously like working for them.

SDH

He says lots of people have applied and normally they like to promote an grade 9 (i.e. a graduate) into this role.
He did also say they will obviously choose the best person for the job but the thing about the job being lower grade than my current one worries him because he'd would afriad i would get bored and leave (to be fair I can see his point!)

Pete111

If you are desperate to stay point out to HR that:

That the company needs (and has promised) to prioritise staff under threat of redundancy
Your priority is to remain in employment with this company
That your pay would remain the same and you don't see it as a big step down
That you would be able to hit the ground running as you have done a similar job - ergo excellent business continuity

Should get you a formal interview at least - in this you can reinforce the above

stephen77

If you turn this upside.
If they wanted you to do a lower grade job for same pay in a very similar role and you did not want to do it. It would be hard for you to prove the role is not suitable and they could deny you redundacy pay if you refused to do the job.
May be use this in your argument for keeping you employed.

Have your apprasil, attendance records been good?