Why would you want to be solutions engineer anyway?
I think you may have misread the title (I did the same initially). The goal is to go SolEng -> SWE. Pros of SolEng are better WLB and more travel opportunities if desired. However, the pay and status cut makes it a raw deal for most.
Ahhh you're right. My bad
Did you interview with them for SE roles?
You’ll have to interview as if you were an external candidate. You won’t be able to negotiate a new pay package.