After working as an assistant to Toni in the Middle East, he managed in his own right from 2013, leading Vitória de Guimarães (interim), Moreirense, Chaves and Gil Vicente in the Primeira Liga Born in Guimarães, Campelos began his career in the staff of José Manuel Gomes at F.C.

[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.

[8] In May 2019, Campelos was appointed manager of Primeira Liga club Moreirense FC, replacing Ivo Vieira.

[10] On 15 January 2020, Campelos returned to the Saudi Professional League with Al Taawoun FC, replacing fellow Portuguese Paulo Sérgio.

[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.