Whilst continuing to direct in Australia, he joined The Royal Opera, London, as a staff director in 1992.
In 1999 he was appointed artistic administrator of Opera Australia by Simone Young and then became executive producer from 2004 to 2008.
[11] His opera directing includes Carmen, The Pearl Fishers, Peter Grimes, La fille du régiment, The Cunning Little Vixen, Manon, La bohème, L'Orfeo, The Magic Flute, The Tales of Hoffmann, Orpheus in the Underworld, Tosca, Il signor Bruschino, La scala di seta, Macbeth and Rigoletto.
[4] His production of Tosca for New Zealand Opera in 2016 was shown in cinemas nationwide.
[12] Maunder directed the first opera production in Australia since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, Berlioz' Béatrice et Bénédict, conducted by Johannes Fritzsch, at the Queensland Conservatorium.