MacPhee holds his Pro Licence and has a reputation for his work with set-pieces leading to his appointment with Danish Champions League side FC Midtjylland who are famed for their focus in this area.
MacPhee helped secure the signing of Esmaël Gonçalves on loan from Rio Ave. Goncalves scored after 8 minutes of his debut, in a 3-2 victory over Celtic at Hampden Park.
MacPhee was credited with the tactical plan behind the victory in post match comments by Manager Danny Lennon and team captain Steven Thompson.
[7][8] MacPhee resigned from his post at St Mirren in March 2014 to become an assistant coach with the Northern Ireland National Team and began working with Michael O'Neill.
In his first qualifying campaign working with O'Neill, the team made a historic start winning their first three games and going on to maintain their form with excellent performances against Finland, Romania and Hungary.
After the match Head Coach Michael O'Neill praised the efforts of MacPhee and his "obsessive attention to detail" on BBC Radio 5 Live and his excellent work with set-pieces which had delivered 11 goals in qualification.
[26] After leaving FC Midtjylland in August 2021, MacPhee joined Aston Villa in the Premier League as a specialist set piece coach.
Emery was reported as having been aware of MacPhee's work with the Scotland national team and was keen to make him an important part of his backroom staff.
[32] In September 2024, MacPhee announced that he had reluctantly resigned the international role because his father was ill and he wanted to focus on his job with Aston Villa.
[34] MacPhee has previously held roles as a UEFA Technical Observer and a FIFA Coach Mentor with the Chinese National Team Staff.