Shift Supervisor, Principal

Rigana folded her arms. "The last time a wizard was asked to help in manufactory operations, it ended poorly. That's a story all in our guild know of and repeat to each other on a regular basis." The manufactory in question was quite still, the shift being over for the day, but Principal Supervisor Henda paced steadily in front of her, a jumbled mess of energy.
"That's because it was public. It was a big public relations push to try to get the public to accept wizards. It wasn't focused on the task at hand." Henda waved an arm at the still conveyors and overhead grasp claws. "We wall off a section of the line. The heavy motive action, the one that takes six workers to manhandle, we do with one wizard. Nobody sees, nobody makes a fuss, we're all golden, and the Florin will come flowing in without having to pay for Covenant healers to mend thrown-out backs on the regular." Henda's speech was in a rhythmic staccato, as though the manufactory line was keeping pace with the words. "Just sign on for two weeks of the day shift, I pay you a quadruple wage, I save on the wages of two more folks that I can reassign, I pitch to the UTC, we all come out ahead."
"A tempting offer, but most wizards can earn far more Florin than the average manufactory line crew. And this is specifically forbidden by Guild bylaw." Rigana shook her head. "I am aware of UTC themselves requesting magical services, but the restrictions are from the Principality, in the name of tamping down societal unrest. Can't have wizards working as scabs."
The Principal put two hands together, rubbing them vigorously. "Not from the higher ups, not something anyone needs to know about. Just an experiment, local to here, producing real results, driving real productivity. No need for politics." Henda glanced at the auto-weaver next to Rigana. "If it's pay that is a concern, I have the authority to pay whatever fees you would request, within reasonable bound."
The wizard sighed. "You...are aware that in my capacity as Wizard of the Association, I am also an Officer of the Principality? This sort of skullduggery is not something I'm interested in, and you need to be careful about requesting these things from officers of the state." She put a finger to her temple, then had a thought. "Tell you what. No money. I'll work one day's shift for free so you can gather your productivity results, so I'm not violating any law about working for pay or scabbing. And you will owe the Association a specific favor. Not the UTC, Henda, you. That work?"

Career

Qualifications

The Principal Shift Supervisor of any manufactory is qualified from their extensive experience managing manufactory lines, whether at that manufactory or at others. Occasional graduates of The Academy of Etoile try their hand at managing a manufactory line, using knowledge and theories learned in the lecture hall, but the majority of manufactory supervisors come up through the ranks of a manufacturing consortium, and are dispatched wherever their talents are most required.

Career Progression

Experience on the line is a dominating requirement; a supervisor must have spent a significant amount of time themselves working the conveyors and auto-tooling of a modern Power manufactory. Those who demonstrate adept knowledge of a diversity of manufactory responsibilities will be first promoted to group supervisor (managing a number of individual operators), section supervisor, then eventually supervising the entire shift of a manufactory. The Principal Shift Supervisor manages the daytime shift of a manufactory's principal line and is the highest ranking person in a given manufactory.

Payment & Reimbursement

The Principal Shift Supervisor at a manufactory is the most well compensated employee of their parent consortium, at that manufactory. Wages are prorated to the location; a Principal Shift Supervisor at a line in Patino, the Machine City can expect to earn anywhere between 12,000F to 15,000F each season. In addition, the Supervisors of a manufactory line typically are housed in Consortium apartment blocks on-site, to ensure rapid response to any interruptions on the manufactory lines.

Other Benefits

The Principal Shift Supervisor at any manufactory has the last word in hiring and firing at any given site; they are the modern equivalent to the pre-Etoilean petty lords, with their manufactory their personal fiefdom. This naturally leads to most supervisors being the most prominent and well known representatives of their member Consortiums, with their actions reflecting on their Consortium as a whole. Of course, each supervisor varies in how they respond to this level of power and responsibility - some manufactories are known for being led by petty tyrants, while with others the supervisor is merely a caretaker, with the owner Consortium taking a low-level interest in the manufactory operations.

Perception

Purpose

Principal Shift Supervisors oversee the operations of a manufactory during the 'standard' business hours. The prime responsibility of the manufactory falls to them - any issues or line interruptions are ultimately theirs to resolve, along with the standard direct management tasks - keeping the lines moving and staffed, hitting production quotas, and so forth. While there are other supervisors to manage the evening (and sometimes the overnight) shift, the Principal manages the facility during its busiest hours. 
This role directly hires and fires all manufactory employees, including line assembly operators, power engineers, and office bookkeeping staff, as well as the other shift supervisors for the manufactory. This supervisor reports to the owning Consortium on a regular basis about production status, deliveries, business bottlenecks, and equipment state, and is responsible for maintaining and improving the facility to meet production quotas set by the Consortium. Depending on the specific Consortium, supervisors may have total free reign to meet their quotas as they like, sourcing auto-machinery as they see fit, or they may be heavily constrained, permitted only to buy from internal Consortium sources and technologies.

Social Status

Principal Shift Supervisors are no more than high ranking Consortium employees in most of the Principality of Etoile, but in Patino, the Machine City, they have a great deal of status, owing to their ability to dole out jobs and set pay rates. Dedicated Consortium employees dream of rising to the title of Principal Supervisor, and those simply looking to earn a living depend on staying in the good graces of their own supervisor, lest they find themselves looking for another position.

History

The original managing structure of the first Powered manufactory lines was based on a military chain of command; Nasse's first manufactories were state projects to build military weapons for The War of Unification. Privatization of the manufactories in the early years of the Principality changed most of the naming conventions, but not the basic structure of organizational leadership at most manufactories. Principal Shift Supervisors can be seen as analogous to a Captain of infantry or cavalry, with similar associations of command responsibility.
There have been experiments with changing the model of manufactory management (notably, some 'cooperative' systems, where every worker in a manufactory is also a supervisor that owns a stake in the business), but the Supervisory structure of management remains predominant, even if only by inertia.

Operations

Workplace

The Principal Shift Supervisor works within the bounds of their manufactory, with near absolute control over what happens within their walls. While those who manage smaller groups or sections of the manufactory may have offices, the Principal is notable in that they typically have no office at all - their work requirements usually demand that they're constantly on the line or meeting other staff, leaving essentially no time to sit at a desk and manage paperwork (with most using assistants for that purpose). As such, they're on their feet the entire shift, overseeing materials and component loading, initial processing and conveyor placement, auto-machinery management, final assembly, quality assurance, and outbound shipping and delivery, as well as addressing technological and employee issues.
Notably, when the presence of a manufactory representative is required outside the manufactory itself (in Patino, the Machine City, for example, at Patino Central Hall meetings), the Principal supervisor is typically the person for the task.

Type

Administration / Management

Demand

One per large manufactory