That is always option #1, if only it was this easy. 3+ years now and countless applications later I'm still in search of this somewhere else. All I got is bait and switches in places where they just want a one man army or "can't see how you can do this if you don't have management experience" (i.e., direct reports, of which i have a whooping zero)
In the meantime, I guess I have to thrive here.