They seemed eager to interview me. Got a phone call from friendly person in the department, who set up a group interview quickly. There were five staff members on that virtual group interview, which lasted almost an hour. The woman running the interview seemed a bit aloof -- the other four were OK. The interview went fine, until I asked at the end of it why the position is vacant. They were obviously uncomfortable with that question, and didn't really give me a direct answer, even after an awkward silence. Was told they'd be in touch after a couple of weeks. I followed up with personalized emails, but got no replies. More than five weeks later, I got an automated HR response that I wasn't selected. It's quite disappointing that none of the people who interviewed me couldn't be bothered to respond, especially since they (not HR) came to me directly in the first place. Obviously there's a reason this job keeping getting re-filled every couple of years.