Bureaucratic discretion is defined by work situation, not occupational title.

Evidence

These definitions are analytical. They focus not on nominal occupational roles but on the characteristics of the particular work situations. Thus not every street-level bureaucrat works for a street-level bureaucracy [for example, a relocation specialist (a type of street-level bureaucrat) may work for an urban renewal agency whose employees are mostly planners, builders, and other technicians]. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 1521

Categorization

• DEFINE: Lipsky deliberately defines the category analytically rather than by job title — the key move for anyone testing how discretion gets institutionalized within a role.