Born in Crawley to Spanish parents. Figueira initially began his career as a player, playing for the youth side of local club Crawley Town, but quit at the age of 19 to pursue a career in coaching, arriving in New Zealand in 2003 following a short stint coaching at the academy of Brighton & Hove Albion.[4][6]
In 2016, Figueira was announced as the new manager of defending ISPS Handa Premiership champions Team Wellington;[6][11] he immediately led them to another title in the 2016–17 season at his first attempt.[12] This led to him being named New Zealand Football Coach of the Year in 2017.[13] Under Figueira, Team Wellington won the 2018 OFC Champions League, qualifying the club for their first ever FIFA Club World Cup;[5] the club was knocked out on penalties to Al-Ain in the playoff round after a 3–3 draw.[14]