[2] The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it maintains all Norwegian interests in the area, including environmental protection, law enforcement, representation, mediation, and civil matters, such as marriage and divorce.

[3] An important part of the position is maintaining good working relations with the Russian community in Barentsburg.

The office's annual budget is determined by the Storting and runs at about NOK 60 million, of which the largest part is used for transportation.

The position was previously called Sysselmann in Norwegian until 1 July 2021, when it was changed to Sysselmester.

This was part of a wider decision by the Solberg government to replace gender-specific governmental titles in Norway with gender-neutral terms.