Interview Focus and Role Alignment for Vendor Management Leader Position I interviewed for the Vendor Management Leader position and am providing a factual summary of the interview structure and content. Approximately 30 minutes of the 60-minute interview were spent on detailed questions related to Procure-to-Pay (P2P), Record-to-Report (RTR), and Order-to-Cash (OTC). These areas were listed as preferred exposure in the job description. The level of questioning reflected detailed process knowledge typically associated with finance or accounting operations. (This is why I tagged the interview as Very Difficult because he would not let up on one single subject). I have a functional understanding which is Vendor Management 101; but in the real world, VM's are not responsible for giving the layout of a procure to pay process end to end, this is a finance or accounting function. The same question was asked on Report to Record. A vendor manager should be able to speak intelligently about P2P, but not operate or architect it, which I did, Examples of questions included: * “Where did you do procure to pay? Where did you do report to record? I’m sure you’ve done order to cash.” * “Why don’t walk me through what does a typical layout of a procure to pay process look like?” * “Walk me through what are the typical elements of record to report…” In response, I described my experience in vendor governance, contracts, SLAs, KPIs, financial alignment, and cross-functional coordination with Finance. The following responses were provided: * “Everything you’ve said is about your role as a vendor manager at a top level…” * “You have not gone deep into the subject matter, actually. The way I’m getting you.” The discussion on P2P, RTR, and OTC continued after clarification that, in prior roles, execution of these processes resides within Finance and Accounting, while my responsibilities interface with these functions rather than directly performing them. Questions were also asked regarding résumé content and timeline: * “If you have a lot of real estate why you not put it on your resume?” * “But your resume doesn’t even go 15 years. It goes 10 years.” * Followed by: “Actually, you’re right. It goes 20 years. You’re right.” When I stated that résumé scope was limited to maintain relevance and focus, and to avoid introducing potential bias related to age or tenure, the response was: * “Well, we hire capabilities. We don’t hire for age, so.” Another statement made during the interview: * “So, that’s helpful to know, you’re interviewing with the real estate company, remember that?” This occurred after I outlined experience across banking, real estate, finance, loan servicing, appraisals, property management, and vendor management. Due to the concentration of time on P2P, RTR, and OTC topics, there was limited opportunity to discuss over 20 years of vendor management experience, including building vendor management functions from the ground up, restructuring existing programs, and achieving zero audit findings. Overall, the interview included extended focus on finance process detail, as well as questions regarding résumé scope and experience timeline, including discussion of potential bias considerations. Candidates should expect detailed questioning on P2P, RTR, and OTC processes during the interview.