Crossword Genius

Chief officer maintains authority over a worker (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

commandant

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'chief officer maintains' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'authority over a worker' is the wordplay.
'authority' becomes 'command' (command is a kind of authority).
'over' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (in a down clue, some letters go over others).
'a worker' becomes 'ant' (worker is a type of ant).
'command'+'ant'='COMMANDANT'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for commandant that I've seen before include "one who takes charge" , "Officer in charge of a place or group of troops" , "Military officer in charge of a place" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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