The interview process raised my first red flag when the possibility of starting as a contractor before becoming an employee was mentioned, introducing an element of confusion.
Subsequently, what I believed to be an interview with the VPF turned out to be with the HR director, who presented a change in the role, making it seem more appealing than the original position applied for.
However, it became clear that it was a bait and switch tactic when the offered compensation was 14K below their initially communicated pay scale.