Haugsbakken hails from the town of Jaren in Hadeland. She joins from her previous role as Director of Communications for the Industri Energi trade union, which is a Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions member. She has seven years of experience within the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration and has been politically engaged throughout her life, with a particular focus on policies relating to working life and equality. She has served as an adviser to the parliamentary Norwegian Labour Party in the Storting, and she is currently on the board of the Labour Party in Innlandet county and leader of the Labour Party in Gran municipality.