On 19 January 2015, Campelos was appointed at C.D. Trofense in his country's Segunda Liga; the team were last after 23 games.[3] In his first game as a professional manager six days later, he lost 2–0 at home to S.L. Benfica B.[4]
Vitória Guimarães and Moreirense
After relegation, Campelos moved in June 2015 to his hometown team Vitória S.C. B.[5] He left in May 2018, having kept them in the second tier in each of his three seasons with finishes of 13th, 11th and 11th;[6] He led the first team on an interim basis after the resignation of Pedro Martins,[7] losing 3–2 at C.S. Marítimo in his only game on 24 February 2018.[8]
On 15 January 2020, Campelos returned to the Saudi Professional League with Al Taawoun FC, replacing fellow Portuguese Paulo Sérgio.[11] He lost his job at the end of August, with six consecutive defeats out of a record of three wins in 15.[12]
Campelos went back to Portugal's second tier on 11 February 2021, succeeding Carlos Pinto at fifth-placed G.D. Chaves.[13] In 2021–22, he won the league's Manager of the Month in December, January and April as the team finished third and returned to the top-flight after a three-year absence with a 2–1 aggregate win over his former club Moreirense in the promotion/relegation play-offs.[14]
In 2022–23, Campelos led the Trás-os-Montes team to seventh place with 46 points, one fewer than their all-time best five years earlier.[15] Highlights included a 1–0 home win over eventual champions S.L. Benfica on 15 April.[16] The team were in contention until the final day for sixth place, which would have guaranteed a first ever European season in the UEFA Europa Conference League, but the club's board had not registered with UEFA before the deadline.[17]
On 30 June 2023, Campelos signed a one-year deal at Gil Vicente F.C. in the same league.[20] On 7 April 2024, after six winless matches, he rescinded his contract.[22]