He began his coaching career in 2005 as the head coach of
Stord/Moster. Ahead of the 2006 season, he took over as head coach at
Mjøndalen IF, playing in
3. divisjon (fourth tier) at the time. Hansen led the team to promotion to the
2008 2. divisjon in his first season in charge. Mjøndalen finished in second place in 2. divisjon's group 4 in the
2007 season. In the following 2008 season, Mjøndalen won their second promotion in three years and was promoted to the
2009 1. divisjon. Hansen and Mjøndalen reached the
play-offs for promotion to the
Tippeligaen in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In 2014 the club won promotion to the Tippeligaen after a 4–1 win on aggregate against
Brann in the play-off final. Mjøndalen finished 15th out of sixteen teams in their first season back at the first tier and were relegated. In 2018, they won promotion to
Eliteserien after finishing in second place in the
2018 1. divisjon. In the
2019 Eliteserien, Mjøndalen avoided relegation through a last-match victory. Vegard Hansen was sacked during the summer 2022, after a string of defeats, leaving his post after 17 years as the club's manager. Hansen was hired as
Kongsvinger manager ahead of the 2023 season, but was sacked in October. Two months later he was hired as the head coach of
Arendal Fotball. ==Honours==