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To hire a Station Manager, go to the station's advanced command options, select a command slot, and choose a Station Manager. To remove a Station Manager, set the command slot to None. The same menu also includes options to control what the Station Manager can do; the options available will depend on whether the station is a factory, dock, complex or headquarters.
The station manager requires being page, and will take wages every 2 hours of game time, any missed payments will be taken when money is available and if the manager misses multiple payments in a row, they will stop working until there is enough money in the station to cover all the missed wages.
The amount of wages required is dependent on the station type, basic factories being the cheapest to operate and the Headquarters being the most expensive
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Settings
Upgrading Ship: When enabled, the station manager will send ships to gather upgrades that will be useful for their tasks, provided that the station has sufficient money. These upgrades can include engine and rudder tunings, cargo extensions, ship equipment and shields.
Replacing Ships: When managed ships are destroyed, the manager will attempt to replace these, either by buying from a local shipyard or ordering them from your headquarters, if you have the necessary blueprints. If the manager is unable to replace the ship within a reasonable time-frame, the replacement will be cancelled and you will be notified.
Repairing Ships: When managed ships are damaged, the manager will send them to a local shipyard or to your headquarters for repairs. The shipyard or HQ must be within the station's jump radius, and there must be sufficient funds in the station account for automatic ship repair/replacement to function
Restrictions Menu
The Station Manager Restrictions option, also available in the station's command console, allows you further control over what the Station Manager is allowed to do. It can be used to specify wares that should not be bought or sold, to ignore certain ships to prevent them from being used by the Station Manager, and to blacklist sectors. Blacklisted sectors specified here are in addition to those set globally.
Duties
The station manager will assign ships to different duties depending on thier settings in the Station Manager Restrictions menu, the default is auto, which will use ships for any duties that they have the upgrades for. Ships can only be assigned to duties if they have the correct equipment
Trade Ships: Ships that have either Trade Command Software MK1 or Trade Command Software MK2 are available for trade duties. These trade ships will be used to buy and/or sell the station's wares, with the Station Manager determining the appropriate action based on the current status of the station. If a factory has insufficient resources to start production, for example, then buying these resources will become a high priority. Ships will make use of a jumpdrive, if installed, and they do not require auto-jump settings for this to work, as they are controlled directly by the station manager. It is also possible to define a list of supply stations which the Station Manager will prioritise for the purchase of resources, provided those stations have sufficient stock available.
Scavenger Ships: Ships that have the Special Command Software installed can be used to scavenge for wares in the local area. These will fly to and pick up crates and deliver them back to the station. These ships will only pick up crates for wares that are currently available at the station. If its a Dock or Headquarters, you will first need to add the available ware, and Factories and Compelxes will only pick up the Resources need for production
Mining Ships: Ships that have the Mining Command Software installed will be used to mine the local asteroids. These will only mine asteroids if their mineral is a resource for the station. The ship will also require the ore collector and mineral scanner. If it has the Mobile Drilling System, then it'll also be able to break the larger asteroids, which this, the ship can only mine from the debris fields in some sectors, or already broken up large asteroids.