one phone interview, followed by two in-person interviews; three "homework" assignments

The process took 3+ months. I applied for the Executive Coordinator position for a specific section in September and approximately 1 month later was notified via email that they were no longer hiring. A month after that another notification went out informing me that the position was open again and that I could resubmit my application. From there I participated in 4 rounds of interviews, which felt excessive for a coordinator position. Round 1: Was a screening 1:1 interview via computer Round 2: Was a group interview (4:1) via computer - top 10 candidates invited. This was the most substantial of the interviews. I was able to meet the team's senior leadership and was given insight about their operation style and how they envisioned the role. Round 2.1 - was asked to submit a presentation and writing sample. Round 3: An unofficial interview - coffee w/ a member from senior leadership - more relaxed but still an opportunity for both of us to learn more about the other. Round 4: This was the final interview (1:1) with the Executive Director, who was also on the call in Round 2 - top 2 candidates invited. This interview took place in the Miami offices and after so many interviews, which required me to use vacation time at work, it was the most underwhelming because no new information was gained as Round 2 covered everything. At this point in the interview process I would have suspected that my interviewer would have knowledge on salary and benefits, but I was told that those questions would have to be directed to the Operations Manager. While the interview itself went fine, I left disappointed by the lack of organization and felt that there was no real direction during the conversation. It felt like an interview for interview's sake. Then an entire month went by with no word from the company. At week 3 I emailed the Operations Manager to check on the status of my application, but received no word. The person did reply to me a week later - at the 1 month mark - apologizing for the lack of communication and informed me that they went with the other candidate. Overall I would rate the interview process negatively, but solely because of the poor communication during this last stage - both the lack of knowledge surrounding the benefits (i.e., pay) to the employee and the poor follow up post interview. During the long interview process communication was fantastic, then it seemed like the moment I was no use to them they thought it acceptable to postpone informing of any decisions. I cannot be sure that I would have ever been informed that they had gone with another candidate had I not reach out. It's a shame because again rounds 1 and 2 were positive experiences, but the end stages were completely off putting.