About us

It did not start as a business.

It did not start as a business. In 2020, Daria opened a free Facebook community for internationals trying to make sense of the Danish job market: a place for honest answers, free workshops, webinars and Q&A sessions, run in the evenings alongside a demanding HR career, simply because she wanted to help.

Other experts gave their time the same way, and many still collaborate with the academy today. Out of that volunteering grew a structured Career Strategy Course in 2025.

Now, as AI reshapes the job market, the academy is taking its next step: personal career consulting alongside the course, with the same intent it started with.

Daria Helgogaard
Sandra Umbro
Our community

Real people. Real meetings.

Workshops, meetups and 1:1 work with professionals who are building their careers in Denmark and beyond.

3,500+
community members
2020
supporting internationals since
150
Career Strategy Course participants since 2025
90%
successful career stories
Career Academy LevelUP community gathering
Community members by the water
Daria preparing a session
Our story

How Career Academy LevelUP was created.

  1. 2020

    A free community with over 3,500 participants

    Daria opens a free Facebook community for internationals trying to make sense of the Danish job market, with honest answers, free workshops, webinars and Q&A sessions.

  2. 2020 – 2024

    Experts join in

    Other experts give their time the same way. Many of them still collaborate with the academy today.

  3. 2025

    The Career Strategy Course

    Out of that volunteering grows a structured Career Strategy Course. 150 participants have joined since.

  4. 2026

    Career Academy LevelUP today

    Individual consultations, career coaching, AI-powered programmes and support for leaders and teams, with the same intent it started with.

Built from the inside of the market

We know how companies choose people, because we have been the one choosing.

Sandra Umbro

Sandra Umbro

Global Headhunter · Career Advisor · 20+ Years in Recruitment

Sandra is a rare recruitment professional with deep industry experience and a genuinely human approach. With 20+ years in talent acquisition and more than 2,850 global hires, she understands how companies make decisions and how people do. She listens closely, asks precise questions, and sees strengths candidates often miss. Her communication is calm, honest, and grounded, and she builds trust quickly.

Structured, reliable, and highly experienced yet warm and approachable, Sandra is a strong partner for both candidates, companies and Career Academy LevelUP which is why over 20,000 people follow her work on LinkedIn.

Read more & certifications

Certified in Business Ethics Code of Conduct, Personal Data Protection, Competency‑Based Recruitment (Korn Ferry), Security Awareness, and Design Sprint (LEAD THE TALENT).

LinkedIn →
Daria Helgogaard

Daria Helgogaard

Founder · Career Consultant · Global HR Leader

Daria is the founder of Career Academy LevelUP, a career consultant and HR leader with 20+ years of international HR experience across Novo Nordisk, Microsoft, L'Oréal, Alfa Laval and Oticon. She built her career in Denmark from the ground up to senior HR leadership, so she understands the Danish job market from the inside.

She brings warmth and honesty to the work, and is at her best helping people recognise strengths they do not always see in themselves.

Read more & certifications

Certified Professional Coach (Mannaz), LinkedIn Certified Professional Recruiter, and certified in Insights Discovery, SHL OPQ32 and Saville Wave assessments. M.Sc. in International Business from Copenhagen Business School and CEMS Master in International Management.

LinkedIn →
Careers

Grow with us.

The academy is growing, and we are looking for someone who wants to grow with it.

Open position

Career Coach & Business Development Manager | Level Up Career Academy

Based in Copenhagen · Hybrid

Level Up Career Academy is a growing startup focused on empowering professionals to advance their careers and unlock their full potential.

We are looking for a passionate and entrepreneurial Career Coach & Business Development Manager to join us on our startup journey.

The ideal candidate has:

  • Proven experience in career coaching, career consulting, and professional development.
  • Relevant coaching certifications or professional qualifications.
  • Strong communication, networking, and relationship-building skills.
  • An entrepreneurial mindset and a genuine interest in business development and growing a startup.

Your role will combine delivering career coaching sessions and consultations with identifying new business opportunities, building partnerships, and helping scale Level Up Career Academy.

We are looking for someone who is excited to grow with the business, take initiative, and make a real impact.

Apply with the form below — it takes two minutes.

Apply for this role

Answer the two questions, tell us about your certification and attach your CV and cover letter.

1. Do you have experience with Career Consulting and Career Coaching?
2. Do you have experience with Business Development and Scaleups?

Or write to careerlevelupacademy@gmail.com

100% confidential: your story, plans and materials stay between you and the academy.