The work of the officer is overseen by the Committee on Standards and Privileges.

The commissioner is in charge of regulating MLAs' conduct and propriety.

[1] One of the commissioner's main tasks is overseeing The Register of Members' Interests, which is intended to ensure disclosure of financial interests that may be of relevance to MSs' work.

[2] The post was established in 1995 with Sir Douglas Bain as the first commissioner, then known as the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints, jointly as the Assembly Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, serving the Committee on Standards and Privileges.

[3] The current commissioner, Melissa McCullough, began her tenure on 7 September 2020.