Spent roughly 30 minutes on phone with recruiter and she thought I was the perfect fit for the position. Hiring manager requested face to face, which occurred 3 days later. I met with 4 people over a span of almost 3 hours. Spoke about my experiences and education, the fact that I am currently a SME in several areas they were looking to improve. Hiring manager asked if I was PMP certified (which I am not) and she said that was not a deal breaker, that it could be a "goal" if I was hired. Was made to feel very comfortable and could make an easy transition into the role if offered. I received an email 2 days later specifically stating that they were going to pursue other candidates that were a better fit, because I lacked "structured PMO experience" (even though I am a PM in a PMO currently, working as a SME for process and procedure improvement! Basically, the recruiter told me it was because I am not PMP certified.