Pearson Government Solutions said Wednesday it landed a $180 million contract with the U.S. Department of Education, a deal that will give the company’s Lawrence employees an extra dose of job security.

Arlington, Va.,-based Pearson Government Solutions said much of the work on the five-year contract would be done at the company’s Lawrence offices in the East Hills Business Park.

Company spokesman Dave Hakensen said the deal wasn’t expected to immediately add jobs to the Lawrence center, but would provide work for existing employees working on a similar contract set to expire.

“It is definitely good news for Pearson Government Solutions, and usually anything that is good news for the company is good news for Lawrence because we have a lot of operations down there,” Hakensen said.

Since last year, Pearson has been the largest private employer in the city. It has about 1,200 full and part-time employees at its Lawrence offices.

The new work will primarily involve call center activities related to questions about the government’s student loan programs. Lawrence employees will operate a toll-free telephone help line and make outbound calls to student loan customers who have missed a payment or violated other terms of their loan agreements.

The contract, which includes five one-year renewal periods beyond the initial five years, continues a long relationship between Pearson and the Department of Education. The firm maintains a Web site for the Department of Education that allows students to apply for financial aid online.

In July, the company completed a 45,000-square-foot expansion of its offices in the East Hills Business Park. The expansion allowed for an additional 400 jobs at the facility.