Levein was sacked as Hearts manager and director of football on 31 October 2019, although he was retained in an advisory role for the rest of his contract. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian, making over 300 league appearances for the Edinburgh club until he was forced to retire by injury. He also won 16 caps for Scotland and was part of their 1990 FIFA World Cup squad.
He then became a manager and has worked at club level for Cowdenbeath, Heart of Midlothian, Leicester City, Raith Rovers and Dundee United. Levein was appointed Scotland manager in 2009, but he left this position after the team failed to win any of its first four matches in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. He returned to Hearts in 2014 as director of football, then also became their manager in 2017.