About Hoop Dreams Basketball Hoop Dreams Basketball is a skill development training business founded in 2002, helping boys and girls from elementary school through professional levels improve their game. We run training sessions every day except Friday, all based out of the Portland Athletic Club (5803 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., Portland, OR 97221). We also support athletes through evaluation, consulting, scouting, and college placement. Role Overview Athlete development is not only about skill work it also depends on the material and environmental realities athletes train in every day: how the ball behaves on different surfaces, how humidity and temperature change grip and bounce, how footwear interacts with the floor, how equipment ages, and how basic hygiene and facility practices affect health and consistency. When those topics are explained with accurate chemistry and materials thinking, families and staff can make better practical decisions with fewer myths. When chemistry language is sloppy or overclaimed, people spend money and effort on fixes that do not match the underlying problem. We are hiring a Chemistry Expert to help Hoop Dreams use sound scientific reasoning as a support system for safe, high-quality training environments and clear athlete education always within appropriate boundaries (you are not a physician; you help the organization communicate responsibly and partner with qualified professionals when needed). In practice, that means helping us translate questions about equipment, courts, climate effects, cleaning and disinfection basics, and STEM learning into evidence-aligned explanations, audit whether our public-facing guidance matches how substances and materials actually behave, and communicate concepts so players and families can understand tradeoffs without drowning in jargon. Examples of the kind of thinking we want include: how to discuss humidity, temperature, and ball pressure without pretending small changes explain everything; how to evaluate cleaning products and protocols for youth spaces with clarity on what effective means; how to talk about material wear (shoes, balls, court coatings) in ways that map to real maintenance decisions; and how to design simple quality checks so facility- and equipment-related messaging does not drift into misleading certainty. You will work closely with our CEO and collaborate with operations, coaching leadership, and whoever owns communications or vendor relationships. The goal is not chemistry for chemistry’s sake, but clearer decision-making so basketball players from youth through advanced levels train in environments and with expectations that are transparent, consistent, and grounded in sound reasoning. Location Hybrid / On-site (Portland, OR) Portland Athletic Club, 5803 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., Portland, OR 97221. Remote-friendly for the right candidate if overlap with Pacific Time meetings is workable. Start Date Target: on or before July 1, 2026 (earlier if available). Compensation $70,000 to $90,000 per year for full-time based on experience, scope, and fit. Responsibilities (What You’ll Do) Design and document chemistry/materials-informed guidance for training operations (what we can claim, what we should measure, what requires a specialist vendor or licensed professional). Review and improve scientific communication used in handouts, parent FAQs, and internal notes: states of matter, solutions/mixtures, pH basics, volatility, adhesion/cohesion concepts applied pragmatically (not textbook-only). Partner on equipment and environment decisions where chemistry matters: ball storage and inflation context, floor traction concepts at a high level, humidity/temperature effects, and material aging with explicit limits on what video or common sense can prove. Audit ambiguity and risk in facility-related messaging (cleaning, odors, mold/moisture red flags, product labels) and recommend single sources of truth for terms; escalate when issues imply health, safety code, or industrial hygiene scope beyond the role. Translate analysis into plain-language summaries for coaches and leadership; optional short training on how to interpret key ideas responsibly. Support STEM readiness relevant to placement and academics for athletes we serve (e.g. chemistry foundations tied to coursework or placement pathways) if that is part of your agreed scope. Stay aligned with privacy and ethics around youth programs; escalate concerns when guidance could be sensitive, stigmatizing, or misinterpreted. Must-Have Qualifications Strong background in chemistry and/or materials science (e.g. M.S. or Ph.D. preferred, or B.S. plus clear applied experience in education, laboratory, manufacturing QA, environmental health communication, or similar). Demonstrated ability to work with real-world messy questions (vendors, labels, anecdotes) and still produce defensible, appropriately cautious conclusions. Solid toolkit: stoichiometry-level reasoning, solutions, acids/bases at a practical level, phase behavior basics, simple materials properties applied pragmatically, not theory for theory’s sake. Excellent communication: you can explain what the science supports, what it does not support, and what decision it supports including when the answer is we need a qualified specialist. High integrity with claims comfortable saying we can’t conclude that from this information. Ability to work independently with clear deadlines and async updates. Work authorization: Must be eligible to work in the United States. Nice-to-Have Qualifications Experience in sports, youth athletics, or education. Familiarity with basketball operations (even as a learner) so guidance maps to how we actually train and travel. Familiarity with facility operations, purchasing, or vendor evaluation (not required, but helpful). Teaching or tutoring experience (chemistry/STEM), especially for high school or early college levels. Exposure to risk communication and GHS/SDS literacy (reading safety data sheets without overclaiming). Comfort collaborating with mathematics/measurement and physics/mechanics roles so environment claims stay consistent with how we evaluate performance. Tools & Environment (Examples) Exact tools depend on hire and stack, but you should be comfortable with: written documentation (policy notes, glossaries), spreadsheets for simple comparisons (cost, concentration, dilution checks as appropriate), and vendor documentation review as we use it. Reporting & Team Reports to: VP of Engineering and CEO Team: Small organization; you may work alongside operations and technical/data roles as we grow. How to Apply Send your resume or CV (or LinkedIn).