Lovell's first managerial job came at
Sittingbourne, where he was player-manager from February 1995 until September 1996, during which he led the team to the
Southern League Southern Division championship. He then moved on to
Gravesend & Northfleet where he was manager for a year. when he left to take over at
Ashford Town, where he remained until the club's demise in August 2010. In December 2014 he was appointed co-caretaker manager of Gillingham alongside
Andy Hessenthaler,
Darren Hare and
Mark Patterson following the sacking of
Peter Taylor. The "Gang of Four", as they came to be known, remained in charge of the club until
Justin Edinburgh was appointed as manager in February 2015. Lovell remained at the club in the role of first team coach. In May 2016 it was announced that he had left the club. In June 2016, he was appointed as assistant manager of
National League side
Bromley, where he would work alongside former
Gillingham teammate
Neil Smith. Lovell returned to Gillingham as a coach in January 2017 under
Adrian Pennock. When Pennock was sacked in September 2017, Lovell continued as coach under the temporary managership of
Peter Taylor, and became caretaker manager on 12 October when Taylor left the club. After four wins in his seven matches as caretaker, Lovell was confirmed in the position with a contract until the end of that season. Lovell was named the
League One Manager of the Month award for January 2018, having led Gillingham to four league wins in four games in that period. His contract was further extended, to the end of the 2019–20 season, in April 2018. In January 2019 Lovell led Gillingham to victory over
Premier League side
Cardiff City in the 3rd round of the
FA Cup, earning a 4th round draw against his home town club
Swansea City, who eventually knocked the Gills out of the tournament. With two matches remaining in the season, and the team effectively safe from relegation in 13th place, Lovell was sacked from the role in April 2019, with a year of his contract remaining. Lovell was appointed as Director of Football at
National League side
Ebbsfleet United in January 2020, but left the role after just 9 months. On 13 January 2021, Lovell was appointed as manager of
National League South side
Welling United. Following the early curtailment of the season shortly after his appointment, Lovell continued with the club into the following season however on 20 September 2021, Lovell was announced to have resigned from his position. In January 2022, he became caretaker manager again at Gillingham after the dismissal of
Steve Evans. On 31 January 2022, following the appointment of
Neil Harris, Lovell again departed the club. In April 2022 he was appointed as manager of
Isthmian League South East Division
Ramsgate. Lovell departed the club on 30 January 2023 with Ramsgate sitting in second place in the division. In May 2023, he was appointed manager of recently relegated Isthmian League South East Division club
Herne Bay on a two-year deal. In January 2025, Lovell was sacked from Herne Bay with the club sat in 17th place in the table, and 7 points above the relegation zone. Lovell confirmed in an interview that he was informed of his sacking via a late night phone call from chairman Matt Barman. ==Personal life==