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Redundant for my Product Manager Role That Has Been Posted Online – Seeking Advice

I’m in a difficult and frustrating situation, and I’d appreciate some advice from this wonderful community. About a month ago, I stumbled upon a job posting for a Senior Product Manager role, which seemed like a perfect next step for my career. Imagine my shock when I was later contacted by a recruiter, only to find out that the posting was for the company I currently work for – a company where I’m the sole Product Manager!

A few days later, I was informed that my role might be made redundant. No real explanation was given, and I feel blindsided. I was never consulted or warned, and I’ve been actively working on projects that seem far from winding down.

To add to the confusion, they are hiring for the same (if not higher) position I currently hold. It’s hard not to feel like I’m being pushed out in a rather sneaky way, especially since I’ve had no performance issues and was never told my position was at risk.

Is this even legal? Has anyone else gone through something like this? How did you handle it? Any advice on how to approach this situation legally or professionally would be really appreciated.

Feeling lost and anxious about my next steps.

I am so sorry you are experiencing this. I am an engineering manager at a startup. I have seen a similar thing happened to my PM. I am happy to connect and talk through the possible scenarios.
This is so tough 💙 While I don’t have any legal advice, I’d recommend the following from a professional POV:- Begin dedicating time to documenting your in-role accomplishments from the last 6-12 months- Update your resume, LinkedIn, Elpha, etc.- Start looking for roles at and slightly above your current level- Invest time each day/week in applying to new roles at companies with better company cultures (the “better company cultures” is part is subjective, but by reading company reviews and even talking to some current employees, you can kind of infer some things on that front)I definitely sympathize with you and hope you have some time to sort through your feelings. At the same time, if I were in your shoes, I would consider my role as ending soon, and would proactively seek other employment. 💙
I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this! I'm not a lawyer or have any legal understanding of labor laws, but I do have experience as a workforce planner, and employers can't open a new role that is the same level and scope as a role that has been eliminated. If the employer opens a similar role but can explain how the scope is different or the leveling is different, then it gets fuzzy...How big is your company? Wishful thinking here is that they're hiring for a similar position but on another team...have you spoken to anyone at your company about this and whether you could move into the new opening if it is about leveling? Maybe none of this applies to you, but figured working through it together could help. Regardless, we're here for you as a community💙