In 1988 Brownlie gained his first
managerial appointment at
Cowdenbeath and won promotion from the
Scottish Second Division before his departure in 1992. He subsequently joined
Clyde, where he worked as assistant manager under
Alex Smith. Just after Christmas in 1993, Brownlie was offered the chance to succeed
Donald Park as
Meadowbank Thistle manager. He signed a two-year deal but resigned after managing only five matches, having achieved a promotion at work which involved working on Saturdays. Brownlie later managed
East Stirlingshire from 1997 until 1998. After a spell running the youth teams at
Raith Rovers, Brownlie managed
Arbroath between 2000 and 2003 where he led the club to promotion from the
Scottish Second Division and kept them in the
Scottish First Division for two seasons. He later returned to East Stirlingshire as a coach, taking temporary charge of the first team in 2008 after the resignation of
Gordon Wylde. Brownlie was appointed manager of
Berwick Rangers in May 2019 ahead of a relegation play-off, which they lost to
Cove Rangers. He was replaced by
Ian Little as Berwick manager after they were relegated to the
Lowland League. Brownlie rejoined
East Stirlingshire as a coach in July 2020, and later stepped up to become assistant manager of the club after
Andy Rodgers left on 4 January 2021. ==Personal life==